India Women v Australia Women 2021: 3 player battles to watch out for in 1st ODI
The multi-format India Women v Australia Women series is about to get underway this week with three ODIs in Queensland. The games will form a fascinating pre-cursor to next year's Women's Cricket World Cup, which will take place across the Tasman sea in New Zealand.
Both India and Australia will be the favorites for next year's tournament. And whoever comes out on top in three games this week will get a great momentum boost going into the World Cup.
India and Australia have developed quite a rivalry over the years in women's cricket. The two sides squared off in the T20 World Cup final last year, which Australia won. This is the first meeting between the two teams since. Expect fireworks to fly once again.
Ahead of the first ODI between India Women and Australia Women, we take a look at some of the key battles that could prove to be decisive in shaping the outcome of the game.
#3 Mithali Raj vs Ellyse Perry
With Harmanpreet Kaur still battling to reach full fitness, India Women's longer-formats captain Mithali Raj will have an even more important role to play in the ODI series. She goes into the first ODI in excellent form, having scored fifties in each of her last four 50-over games.
Question marks still remain over where Mithali Raj will bat in the order for India Women. But regardless of when she comes onto the crease, she will have to overcome the challenge of one of the world's best pace bowlers in Ellyse Perry.
With Australia's attack blunted due to the absence of several frontline pacers, Perry will be key to their hopes of victory. She has a great record against India, with 32 wickets to her name in just 17 ODIs. And the battle between these two greats could well end up deciding the contest.
#2 Jhulan Goswami vs Alyssa Healy
Jhulan Goswami remains India Women's best and most threatening fast bowler, even at the age of 38. This could be her last tour of Australia, and she will certainly want to go out on a high.
Goswami will have a key role to play in the series, especially in the first ODI as India Women look to break Australia's historic unbeaten run. And how she fares against Australia power-hitter Alyssa Healy will be crucial to India's hopes.
Goswami got the better of Healy in the warm-up game that took place last week. Fans will be hoping that she can keep the dangerous Healy quiet in the first ODI as well.
Healy is one of the most destructive hitters in women's cricket. And she can be very hard to stop if she gets going. So India Women will need to get her out early. It will be up to Goswami to deliver, just as she has done over the course of her 20-year career.
#1 Shafali Verma vs Darcie Brown
Two exciting and talented teenagers will face off in the first ODI in what could be a captivating battle. Shafali Verma may only be 17, but she has already taken the world by storm with her fearlessness and clean striking. She has even earned comparisons with legendary Indian opener Virender Sehwag.
Her match-up against fellow teen Darcie Brown at the top of the order will be an intriguing one as the two youngsters will want to make a name for themselves in this series. Brown has shown glimpses of her quality since making her debut earlier this year. And she will bring a lot of aggression to the Australia bowling attack with her pace and short-pitch bowling.
Verma never backs down from a challenge. And she has all the attributes to become a star batter for India Women for years to come. A strong start to the series against Brown and the star-studded Australian attack will go a long way in helping her get ready to lead the charge for India Women at the World Cup.