Women's T20 World Cup 2023: Predicting 3 players who will take most wickets in India vs Australia match
The Women's T20 World Cup 2023 semifinal round will begin today in Cape Town. Defending champions Australia Women will square off against India Women in the first semifinal. It is a rematch of the Women's T20 World Cup 2020 and Commonwealth Games 2022 finals.
India Women and Australia Women have played excellent cricket in recent years, but only one of them will advance to the Women's T20 World Cup 2023 summit clash. The conditions in Cape Town are great for batting, which is why the team that bowls better today will have a higher chance of winning.
Australia Women have not played a single match at this venue in the ongoing mega event, while India Women beat Pakistan Women and West Indies Women at Newlands during the group stage.
The bowling unit that executes its plans to perfection will give opposition batters a tough time. It will be interesting to see how the top players of India Women and Australia Women perform in a high-pressure match like the Women's T20 World Cup semifinal.
Both squads feature some extremely talented bowlers, and here are the three names that could end up with the highest number of wickets in today's match.
#1 Deepti Sharma, India Women
Off-spin bowling all-rounder Deepti Sharma was the highest wicket-taker for India Women in their five-match T20I series against Australia Women last year. Sharma scalped six wickets in five matches, with her best figures being 2/35.
The all-rounder has also been in good form in the Women's T20 World Cup 2023. She scalped three wickets against West Indies Women and bagged one wicket each against England Women and Pakistan Women.
If Deepti Sharma produces another top-quality bowling performance, Australia Women will find it challenging to score big in Cape Town.
#2 Ashleigh Gardner, Australia Women
Another off-spin bowling all-rounder to feature on this list is Australia Women's Ashleigh Gardner. She was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the five-match series between India Women and Australia Women last year, with seven scalps from five matches. Gardner maintained an economy rate of 7.11 in the series.
Speaking of her performance in the last 10 matches, Gardner picked up 17 wickets at an economy rate of 6.42. Her numbers highlight that she has been a consistent wicket-taker for Australia Women.
Gardner had a five-wicket haul for Australia Women in the Women's T20 World Cup against New Zealand Women. It remains to be seen if she can produce a similar performance today.
#3 Renuka Singh Thakur, India Women
Renuka Singh Thakur is another bowler who has taken a five-wicket haul in the Women's T20 World Cup 2023. The India Women pacer accomplished the feat against England Women, where she returned with figures of 5/15.
Thakur did not have an eventful series against Australia Women last year, where she scalped only two wickets in five games. However, she has been in great touch in South Africa.
With Pooja Vastrakar ruled out of the tournament, all eyes will be on Renuka Singh Thakur for this match.