Shikha Pandey on India Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final against Australia: “We are still looking for that one perfect game”
India Women pacer Shikha Pandey admitted that the Women in Blue are still looking for the perfect game in the T20 World Cup 2023, where they will fire in all departments. She asserted that all the players in the team are looking to put their best foot forward against Australia in the semi-final.
India will face Australia in the first semi-final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 at Newlands in Cape Town on Thursday, February 23. While India qualified from Group B, winning three of their four matches, Australia topped Group A, remaining unbeaten.
Although India Women have qualified for the semi-final, their performances have been scratchy. Opening up on the team’s journey in the competition so far, Pandey stated in an ICC video:
“We are still looking for that one perfect game where all the three departments for us work. I am hopeful that the next game that we play against Australia - the knockout game, the semis - will be the one in which we all bring in our A-game. It should be the game where we all show what we are made up of.”
India Women’s opener and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has been one of the biggest positives for the team in the World Cup so far. Praising the batter, Pandey said:
“Smriti is an asset. I am actually very lucky to be in the same team. I don’t have to bowl to her in the matches. It’s just in the nets that I have to bowl to her. It was a really great innings (against Ireland). She’s been in good form and we're just hopeful that she continues.”
Mandhana has scored half-centuries in the last two matches, including a career-best 87 against Ireland.
“There were a lot of learnings from that game” - Pandey on 2020 T20 World Cup final loss
India were hammered by Australia the last time the two sides met in the final of the 2020 T20 World Cup. Pandey, however, does not believe the loss will have a bearing on Thursday’s encounter. She stated:
“There were a lot of learnings from that game in terms of our batting, our bowling, our fielding. That was three years back. We recently played against them, and I guess the more we play against quality sides like Australia, the better we play.”
Chasing a massive target of 185 in Melbourne in the 2020 T20 World Cup final, India succumbed to 99 all-out.