March 8, 2020 – The India women’s cricket team was one game away from lifting their first-ever ICC trophy. It was a dream 42 years in the making. In front of a jam-packed crowd at the MCG, India’s hope was crushed. In less than two hours, the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup final was over. Australia women’s cricket team’s opener and wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy entered the middle and smashed India to bits.
Australia strong even without Alyssa Healy
India had faced Australia in the tournament opener and defeated them. It was an unlikely result, but it gave India hope to go all the way in the final. Even in that game, Healy had impressed. But the final was something special. Her 75 (39) blew India away. The Women in Blue outscored Healy by just 24 runs and lost the game by a whopping 85 runs.
6 years later, India is still waiting to win a Women’s T20 World Cup. Last year, the Women in Blue ended the ICC trophy drought by defeating Australia in the ODI World Cup semifinal. Healy retired from international cricket earlier in the year. But Harmanpreet Kaur‘s team isn’t breathing a sigh of relief.
“We recently played a T20I series against Australia on their home soil, and we performed well. That series gave us confidence. It’s not that after Alyssa Healy’s retirement, Australia have become weaker. They are still a very strong side. They have a deep pool of players and a system that keeps producing quality cricketers. One player leaving doesn’t change that,” Harmanpreet told JioStar.
Healy might’ve been one of the biggest hurdles in India’s hunt for an ICC trophy, but Australia has got multiple world-beaters in the side. They are undefeated in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, having thrashed South Africa, who defeated India. It won’t be easy to go past them.
India backing themselves
The game at Lord’s on June 28 will be a virtual quarterfinal. South Africa is on par with India, but they have a weaker opposition, Bangladesh, to face. If the Proteas win, India will need to defeat Australia. If the Proteas win big against Bangladesh, India will need to absolutely hammer Australia.
Neither would be easy, but India is prepared. Earlier in the year, India toured Australia for a 3-match T20I series and won 2-1. That Aussie team hasn’t changed from that series. That means the Women in Blue have got the ability to one-up them.
“We have always played good cricket against them. We have always given them tough competition in big tournaments. The mindset remains the same; we will give our best, work hard, and try to dominate them in every department. We know they are a strong team, but we also know we have the ability to match them,” the Indian captain added.
Harmanpreet believes in her and the team’s skill to come out on top. Granted, the fielding hasn’t been great, but Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh have done well with the bat. The spinners, Sree Charani in particular, have been exceptional. Now, it’s time to turn up on the day.
“We focus on our own skills. We talk about what we need to do on the match day, our batting plans, our bowling lengths, and our fielding standards. We discuss how we can execute our skills under pressure. We know what Australia have achieved in the past, but that doesn’t matter when we step onto the field. It’s only about what we can do and how we can deliver to win that match. So, we keep the focus on ourselves,” Harmanpreet concluded.
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