Australia skipper Meg Lanning believes her aspect is not going to go into the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final in opposition to India with a psychological edge, saying previous outcomes don’t matter in opposition to a powerful crew.
Australia will tackle India for a spot within the World Cup remaining, after defeating Harmanpreet Kaur’s aspect 4-1 within the five-match T20I sequence final December and likewise the 2022 Commonwealth Games remaining in Birmingham, moreover triumphing within the 2020 T20 World Cup remaining at MCG.
“I don’t think so (Australia will have a psychological advantage),” mentioned Lanning on the eve of the semi-final right here.
“Both teams start at the same level tomorrow when we come out and play. What’s happened in the past doesn’t make a difference. We need to come out and play our best cricket and play the way that we want to.
“And in India, we look to do the same. So, as I said, it’s going to be an incredible game, two world-class teams going at it. And it’s about putting out your best performance on the day,” added Lanning.
The captain additionally mentioned beating India within the five-match sequence final December in Mumbai doesn’t make Australia the agency favorite, provided that the opponent is an “incredible side” and should not counting on simply a few gamers to win them video games.
“I’m not sure (Australia are favourites), to be honest. We obviously both know each other very well. They’re (India) an incredible side. They’ve got some match winners and world-class players and it’s going to be a cracking game.
“Obviously, we came here to be part of a game like this and we’re expecting to have to play at our best to win. And that’s something that I know this group is up for and we’re certainly very much looking forward to it.”
She additionally added that India now has a powerful group which bats deep and is ready to ship in big-ticket occasions.
Australia beat India by three wickets to win the gold medal within the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
| Photo Credit: Getty Images
“I think that they’ve shown that they’re not relying on one or two players. They’ve got some great depth as well. So, for us as a team, we’ve had to prepare for all their players to do well.
“And I think when you get to that point as a squad, you know you’re going to be in most games because T20 cricket, some things work out, some things don’t. And sometimes it’s not going to be your day.
“But as long as someone steps up, then that’s the most important thing. And that’s what they’ve shown to be able to do.
“They’ve really created that real strong group of players who have played a lot of cricket together now. And they’re able to deliver. So, we know they’re strong. And that sort of just makes the challenge even greater and something we look forward to.”
Lanning expressed confidence in her aspect, with all 15 members within the squad absolutely match and out there for choice in opposition to India.
“We’ve got a full squad. Alissa Healy is fit and available, which is great for us. She’s had a great tournament so far and, is going to play an important role. So that’s nice, but it does make it pretty difficult to get it down to 11.” She added that Australia should guard in opposition to India’s spin bowling, which, whereas being robust, has a whole lot of selection as effectively.
“They (India) obviously bowl a lot of spin with the ball. And they’ve got some good variety within their attack as well. So that just sort of keeps you on your game as a batter, making sure you’re adapting really quickly.
“And I just think that they’re overall match winners. You know, they’ve got players who can take the game away from you very quickly in the space of a number of overs. So we’re very aware of that and we’ll look to try and counter that as much as we can.” Lannings mentioned, the plan could be to eliminate top-order batters Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma to place India beneath strain.
“Yeah, that’s absolutely a focus for us. I think any T20 game that you play, if you can get some early wickets, that puts pressure on the opposition. So, we’ll certainly have some plans in place to try and do that.
“Smriti and Verma are obviously key players for them who we’ve spoken about a little bit, but can take the game away from you very quickly.
“So yeah, we have planned and we’ll certainly be trying to take early wickets because we know in T20 cricket that can make a massive difference.”
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com