The Women's ODI World Cup semi-final is underway between India and Australia at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Australia, the defending champions, won the toss and opted to bat first. Captain Alyssa Healy confirmed her fitness after a calf strain and returns to the side, with Sophie Molineux replacing Wareham in their only change.
For India, captain Harmanpreet Kaur announced three changes: Shafali Verma replaces the injured Pratika Rawal, and both Richa Ghosh and Kranti Gaud come in for Uma and Harleen Deol. Healy summed up the knockout scenario: "it's basically whoever plays better will get the result."
Smriti Mandhana now partners with the returning Shafali Verma. This combination shifts Mandhana's usual role; she was the early aggressor with Rawal (strike rate 108.75) but typically adopts a more measured approach with Verma (strike rate 85.55).
Despite her time away, Verma appeared unfazed by the pressure. "I’ve been in such situations earlier, so it’s nothing new. I’ll keep telling myself to stay calm and believe in myself. So absolutely, I’ll do well – 200%," she asserted, confirming the team management gave her "a lot of freedom" to play her natural game.
Australia enters the match unbeaten, maintaining a perfect record in the tournament. They have not lost an ODI knockout game since the 2017 World Cup semi-final against India. Coach Shelley Nitschke acknowledged the challenge posed by India's deep batting line-up, even without Rawal, and stressed her team's preparedness. "Semifinals are anyone’s game, I don’t think we go in as the underdogs or the favourites," Nitschke said.
Former West Indies star Ian Bishop offered tactical advice to Harmanpreet Kaur, urging aggression in all aspects. "The key is getting the Indian team into a positive and composed frame of mind... I think you’ve got to be aggressive," he stated. Bishop advised taking risks, even "risking losing the game, to stand a better chance of winning," to prevent Australia's typical fightbacks.
