India will be looking to avoid the ignominy of a clean sweep by Australia, which is looking for its 27th consecutive win, when the teams meet in the third and final women’s One-Day International here on Sunday.
A no-ball off the final delivery by Jhulan Goswami found India on the wrong side of the result in the second ODI.
Opeer Rachel Haynes’ replacement Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath and Nicola Carey snatched the game away from India.
India’s bowling attack, barring Jhulan, hasn’t really delivered in 2021. Shikha Pandey is very hardworking but can she be a regular partner for Jhulan? Mansi Joshi, Puja Vastrakar and Monica Patel have also not stood up to be counted.
The spin department is India’s strength, but it would seem stronger teams have now measured up.
Poonam Yadav’s loopy leg-breaks have thus become largely ineffective. Deepti Sharma has been consistent but is more of a restrictive bowler.
How skipper Mithali Raj pulls herself up and the team is the big question.
If Harmanpreet Kaur is available, it would be great but the vice-captain has also been in poor form so no one knows how much of a difference it will make.
The teams (from):
India: Mithali Raj (Capt.), Harmanpreet Kaur (Vice-Capt.), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Punam Raut, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Yastika Bhatia, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Shikha Pandey, Jhulan Goswami, Meghna Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav, Richa Ghosh and Ekta Bisht.
Australia: Meg Lanning (Capt.), Darcie Brown, Maitlan Brown, Stella Campbell, Nicola Carey, Hannah Darlington, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Georgia Redmayne, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck and Georgia Wareham.
Match starts at 5:35 a.m. IST.
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