AUS-W vs IND-W Match Details:
Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham
Date and Time: July 29, 4:30 PM

Australia will take on India in the first game of the Commonwealth Games 2022 at Edgbaston in Birmingham on July 29. The Women in Yellow will start favorites to win with several match-winners on their side. The Meg Lanning-led side will be looking to win another tournament, having already bagged the WODI World Cup this year.

On the other hand, India will be looking to put up a spirited performance against a full-strength Australian side. The Women in Blue are coming off a terrific series victory in both ODIs and the T20Is against Sri Lanka and are riding high on confidence. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side will be looking to start the tournament on a positive note.

Women’s Cricket would feature in the Commonwealth Games for the first time. T20 World Cup winner Australia Women would be taking on India Women in the first game of the tournament. Australia Women hasn’t lost a bilateral or multi-nation tournament since 2017 and they would come here with confidence. India Women also come into this game with a series win in Sri Lanka.  

India Women haven’t fared well against Australia Women in recent games and have won only once in the last five games between the two teams. Their record on English soil isn’t encouraging either and this would put pressure on the side. Australians have been in excellent form in the last five years. It would be interesting to see if they can maintain their impressive record and start with a win.

TEAMS PREVIEW

AUSTRALIA WOMEN PREVIEW

Meg Lanning has led Australia to several titles, and she would be aiming for the inaugural Commonwealth Games Gold Medal. The team has been in good form coming into this contest and this would add to their confidence. Lanning would like her players to come up with a clinical performance in this game as they look for their first points in this tournament. 

The site has a strong opening pair in Beth Mooney and Alyssa Healy and the pair shall look to set up a big opening wicket stand. The middle order has the experienced trio of Meg Lanning, Tahlia McGrath, and Ashleigh Gardner and they would need to take on the India bowlers. Nicola Carey, Grace Harris, and Ellyse Perry can score runs quickly and this makes it a formidable batting line-up that can destroy any bowling attack.  

Aussies would expect to see a good start with the ball from Megan Schutt and Grace Harris. They need to do the early damage as the Indians have good players at the top. Alana King, Jess Jonassen, and Carey have lots of experience and they will look to use the conditions well in this game. The presence of Alana King adds to the side’s bowling strengths leading into this contest.

INDIA WOMEN PREVIEW

Harmanpreet Kaur’s side would face an acid test in the very first game. They take on the best team in the tournament and Kaur would like her players to rise to the challenge. Their bowling attack has to be at its best given the kind of stroke players the Australians have. A win in this game would add to the side’s confidence for the rest of the tournament.  

Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana had done well in Sri Lanka and the pair would have an important role in this game. In the middle order, the side has good strength with Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Yastika Bhatia on the side. They would also expect the likes of Harleen Deol and Deepti Sharma to add quick runs down the order as the Australians would come hard at them.  

Their bowlers have a big challenge on hand and the side would need to unsettle the Australian top order. Renuka Singh and Meghna Singh must deliver with the new ball in this game. Deepti Sharma did well in Sri Lanka, and she would have to bowl tight lines in the middle overs. The side would also expect good spells from Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, and Kaur. 

WEATHER CONDITIONS

The skies over Birmingham would be clear on July 29. The batting surface would be flat, and we are likely to see a high-scoring contest. Batters would find it easy batting on this track. Bowlers are likely to have a tough time on this wicket. The side batting first would need 170 runs on the board to feel safe. 

VENUE DETAILS

Edgbaston, Birmingham is one of the best batting surfaces in England. The ball hits the bat hard, and batters have scored runs easily on this track. Fast bowlers generate pace and bounce from this track in the early overs, but it is a tough venue for the spinners as the ball skids through and doesn’t turn much on this track.

TOSS: TO BAT

In the recent T20 Blast we saw most sides winning the game at this venue by batting first. The wicket is great to bat on at the start of the game and chasing scores here has been a challenge in recent years. Hence, we expect to see the side winning the toss have no hesitation in batting first. 

AUS-W VS IND-W PROBABLE PLAYING XIS:

AUSTRALIA WOMEN:

Alyssa Healy (wk), Beth Mooney, Meg Lanning (c), Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Rachael Haynes, Ashleigh Gardner, Nicola Carey, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Megan Schutt

INDIA WOMEN:

Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Harleen Deol, Renuka Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav

AUS-W VS IND-W ARE PROBABLE TOP PERFORMERS

PROBABLE BEST BATTER

BETH MOONEY:

Beth Mooney is one of the vital cogs in the Australian batting lineup, and she is expected to open the innings alongside Alyssa Healy. Mooney averages 37.26 and has a strike rate of 122.16. She has scored two centuries and 11 half-centuries in the T20I format and is one of the consistent run-scorers.

PROBABLE BEST BOWLER

JESS JONASSEN:

Jess Jonassen has always been one of the key players in the bowling setup for Australia. The 29-year-old has taken 80 wickets in 89 T20Is at a stunning economy of 5.47 and an average of 19.45. The left-arm spinner will be looking to make an impact against the Indian batting order.

WINNING PREDICTION

India Women would be under pressure. Their record against Australia Women has been poor and the side hasn’t done well in English conditions. Their fast-bowling attack is weaker which is a major problem for the team in these bowling conditions. Australians have been in exceptional form in recent months, and this would make them favorites to win the game and earn their first points in the tournament.

Australia Women to win this game.