Women's T20 World Cup 2023: 3 surprise picks for Dream11 Fantasy teams for India vs Australia
India and Australia lock horns in the first semi-final of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023 on Thursday, February 23, at Newlands in Cape Town.
This is a match-up between the winners of Group A, Australia, and the second placed team of Group B, India. It was another stroll in the park kind of group stage for the dominant Aussies who won all four of their matches with minimal fuss.
It wasn't quite straightforward for India, who ended up winning the last game against Ireland by only five runs by the DLS method. They finished second with three wins in four games, with the defeat coming against England.
It's definitely advantage Australia heading into this game with the defending champions having form, history, and a powerful squad on their side. However, we have seen India stun them in the past and Indian fans will hope for a similar occurrence here.
On that note, let's look at some differential players managers can use in their fantasy teams.
#3 Jemimah Rodrigues
Most players in world cricket don't have a good record against Australia and Jemimah Rodrigues is no exception. She averages only 16.68 against the Aussies in T20Is, but she has had a decent tournament so far.
While Rodrigues hasn't scored much since her match-winning fifty against Pakistan, she has looked in good touch at the crease and that's why it's surprising to see her ownership comparatively low.
She looks to be batting with confidence and with a big game up ahead, backing the talented batter is a pretty good thing to do.
#2 Tahlia McGrath
All-rounder Tahlia McGrath won the Player of the Match award for her spectacular half-century that set up Australia's chase in their win against South Africa in the group stages. Australia's formidable top-order form has resulted in Tahlia not getting enough time out in the middle with the bat, but when she does, she can take the game away from the opposition in a flash.
She especially loves playing against India, and averages close to 50 against them in 10 T20Is. She's also a very handy medium-pace bowler who can contribute wickets with the ball as well. Once again, her low ownership is surprising and she could prove to be an effective differential in this game.
#1 Grace Harris
Listed as a batter on Dream11, hard-hitting all-rounder Grace Harris could be a powerful differential in this match. While her batting position is a concern, Harris is a genuinely destructive batter with a monstrous T20I career strike rate of 176.11. She hasn't had many opportunities to bat yet, but when she does, she strikes the ball cleanly.
In the recently concluded five-match T20I series against India, Grace finished the series as the sixth-highest run-scorer, making 132 runs in four games at a mind-boggling strike-rate of 203.07. She's also a handy off-spinner and has picked up a couple of wickets already at the T20 World Cup.
While there is a chance she won't bat or bowl, Grace Harris is a player with plenty of explosive point-scoring potential. She could prove to be an X-Factor differential selection.