3 months ago
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The Indian women's squad volition commencement a cardinal signifier of its mentation for the 20-over World Cup aboriginal this twelvemonth erstwhile it faces Australia successful the archetypal T20 International successful Sydney connected Sunday (February 15, 2026).
India is touring Australia for a multi-format series, featuring 3 T20Is and arsenic galore ODIs, too a lone Test (D/N) from March 6 successful Perth.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian broadside volition play its archetypal distant bid since the 50-over World Cup victory, touring six antithetic cities successful Australia.
The archetypal T20I volition beryllium played astatine Sydney Cricket Ground earlier the enactment shifts to Manuka Oval successful Canberra, and the Adelaide Oval for the 2nd and 3rd matches respectively.
The bid volition beryllium India's archetypal T20 engagement this year. India participate the bid arsenic satellite No. 3 with hosts Australia sitting astatine No. 1 successful the ICC women's T20I squad rankings.
The Indians volition look to proceed the momentum aft having won their first-ever ICC trophy successful the signifier of 50-over World Cup and skipper Harmanpreet knows precise good the value of the series.
"We cognize they (Australia) are a precise beardown team, they person been playing truly bully cricket from specified a agelong clip and 1 happening is precise wide whenever you spell with large mindset and affirmative attack you tin springiness your best. So our extremity would beryllium to bring retired our champion and play champion cricket," the India skipper said connected the eve of the match.
"We are truly moving hard to execute each our targets, truthful ODI World Cup was 1 of them.
"Before T20 World Cup, each bid is important for us. This bid is precise important for some the teams," she added.
India person retained bulk of their 50-over World Cup-winning stars similar Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma. They person besides introduced immoderate caller names to the squad successful the signifier Vaishnavi Sharma and Sree Charani, courtesy their beardown performances successful Women's Premier League, and besides recalled Shreyanka Patil and Bharti Fulmali into the squad.
India had a disappointing outing successful the past 2 editions of the T20 World Cup arsenic they deficiency power-hitting spot successful the decease overs but Fulmali and Ghosh volition lend much-needed impetus connected that front.
"WPL has truly played a large relation to amended women's cricket and bully to spot that everybody is successful bully touch. The conditions are wholly antithetic from backmost location but these conditions ever suit us," Harmanpreet said.
The skipper said the ODI World Cup occurrence volition springiness much-needed assurance to India going into the tour.
"That was a antithetic format and T20 is simply a antithetic format. But being satellite champions ever springiness tons of confidence, each clip erstwhile you measurement to the crushed you person to commencement from shot one. It's a antithetic shot crippled and we are truly looking guardant to that.
"T20 is thing we bask playing arsenic a team. Playing against Australia is ever amusive and we are truly looking forward."
Harmanpreet is besides excited to diagnostic successful the lone pinkish shot Test against Australia successful Perth starting March 6.
"I played batch of cricket present and ever bask playing successful Australia and it has 1 of the champion cricketing civilization we person adjacent seen. Not lone maine each my teammates emotion playing successful Australia," she said.
"Multi-format is ever exciting. Playing T20S and ODIs is ever great, but Test is thing we ever privation to play, and pinkish shot Test is going to beryllium truly exciting."
Australia, connected the different hand, volition beryllium hopeless to beryllium a constituent aft they were knocked retired by India successful the semifinals of past year's ODI World Cup.
The bid besides holds large value for 1 of Australia's top women cricketers — Alyssa Healy, who volition bid adieu to the crippled aft the rubber.
The seasoned wicketkeeper-batter had announced her status past month, and volition beryllium representing her state for the last clip during the 3 ODIs and lone Test against India.
Sophie Molineux, the caller multi-format captain, volition pb Australia for the archetypal clip during the T20Is against India.
A notable omission for Australia is leg-spinner Alana King, who has been dropped.
Teams
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Renuka Thakur, Sree Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Uma Chetry, Arundhati Reddy, Amanjot Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharti Fulmali, Shreyanka Patil.
Australia: Sophie Molineux (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham.
Match starts astatine 1:45pm.
