Last Updated on 4 months by Charbel Coorey

AUS-W vs IND-W 1st T20 Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | AU-W vs IN-W 1st T20 Dream11 Prediction Today | Australia Women vs India Women 1st T20 Key Players | Carrara Pitch Report

After a highly competitive ODI series and a historic pink ball Test, the focus of the multi-format India Women v Australia Women series moves to its T20 leg with the first of the three games set to be played at the Carrara Oval on Thursday.

Barring the first ODI, it is fair to say that India Women have dominated the proceedings in the last two ODIs and the one-off Test. Indeed, if not for sloppy fielding in the second game, they would have been leading the points table.

Nevertheless, Australia women still hold the lead by 6-4 and the visitors face an unlikely task of winning all three T20Is to win the rubber.

The rivalry between these two sides in the shortest format has been pretty intriguing in the past few years. The last six games has seen both sides win three apiece and it is fair to say that the upcoming series will be a mouthwatering one.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Australia Women: 

• Alyssa Healy: She may not have had the best of times in the ODI series and the one-off Test but Healy will once again be a huge threat for Team India.
• The opener loves batting against India in the shortest format. In 14 innings against the Women in Blue, she has scored 356 runs at an average of 29.66 and a strike rate of 147.10 with 4 50+ scores.
• Meg Lanning: The Australian skipper is the leading run-scorer for her team against India in T20Is. In 16 innings, she has scored 435 runs at an average of 33.46 and a strike rate of 103.32.
• Beth Mooney: She has already scored a match-winning ton against India in the ODIs. Mooney is the second highest run-getter for Australia against India in T20Is. In 11 innings, she has scored 392 runs at an average of 43.55 and a strike rate of 119.51 with 3 50+ scores.
• Ellyse Perry: After a disappointing ODI series, Perry showed signs of regaining her form in the one-off Test.
• In 17 T20Is against India, the champion all-rounder has scored 182 runs with one 50+ score besides claiming as many as 22 wickets at an average of 14.09 and an economy rate of 5.23.
• Darcie Brown: The young seamer gave a good account of herself in the ODI series. She claimed five wickets in two matches. 

India Women:

• Smriti Mandhana: The champion opener has already put up a number of stellar contributions in the ongoing tour. After having scored a 94-ball 86 in the second ODI, the stylish opener sizzled with her maiden ton in the pink ball Test.
• Mandhana is the 2nd highest run-scorer for India in T20Is against Australia- 395 runs in 11 innings at an average of 39.50 and a strike rate of 135.27 with 4 50+ scores.
• Shafali Verma: The swashbuckling opener has shown remarkable maturity in the ODI series and the one-off Test and the 17-year-old will now be looking to tee off in the shortest format.
• Shafali is the 2nd highest run-getter for India in the format since the start of 2019 – 665 runs in 25 innings at an average of 27.70 and a blistering strike rate of 145.19 with three 50+ scores.
• Jemmimah Rodrigues: The young Mumbai batter will be looking to make an impact in what would be her maiden outing of the tour. She was in good form in the ‘Hundred’ and would be looking to continue with the same form against the Aussies.
• Rodrigues is the third highest run-scorer for Team India in the format since the start of 2019 – 515 runs in 25 innings at 22.39.
• Harmanpreet Kaur: The middle-order batter will make a comeback after having missed the ODI and Test leg due to injury. She will be looking to make an impact after having gone through an extended lean patch in the past couple of years.
• Her record vs Australia: 68 runs in 5 innings at an average of 17.
• Deepti Sharma: The all-rounder has chipped in with both bat and ball in the tour thus far. Sharma loves batting against Australia. In 5 innings, she has scored 103 runs at an average of 34.33 and a strike rate of 100.98 besides claiming 10 wickets at 18.70.
• Poonam Yadav: The young leg-spinner has been sensational for India in the shortest format in the past couple of years. In the last 2 years, she has claimed 29 wickets in 23 innings at an average of 17.96 and an economy rate of 5.98.
• Her record vs Australia: 12 wickets in 7 T20Is at 14.66.

Stats and Facts

• Both sides have locked horns 20 times in T20Is with Australia leading the ledger 14-6.
• However, both sides have won 3 games apiece in their last 6 encounters.
• Australia currently lead the multi-format rubber 6-4.

Possible Playing 11

Australia Women: 1. Alyssa Healy (wk), 2. Beth Mooney, 3. Meg Lanning (c), 4. Ellyse Perry, 5. Ashleigh Gardner, 6. Tahlia McGrath, 7. Sophie Molineux, 8. Georgia Wareham, 9. Annabel Sutherland, 10. Darcie Brown, 11. Tayla Vlaeminck

India Women: 1. Smriti Mandhana, 2. Shafali Verma, 3. Jemimah Rodrigues, 4. Harmanpreet Kaur (c), 5. Deepti Sharma, 6. Richa Ghosh (WK), 7. Sneh Rana, 8. Pooja Vastrakar, 9. Shikha Pandey/Meghna Singh, 10. Poonam Yadav, 11. Rajeshwari Gayakwad/Radha Yadav

Carrara Oval Pitch report and weather conditions

The pitch at Carrara Oval has proved to be a belter for batters thus far and much of the same should be the case in the T20I series.

In the only T20I played at the venue, the first innings score was 216.

As far as the weather is concerned, it is expected to be cloudy. The temperatures are set to hover between 16-26 degrees Celsius. Humidity is set to be around 55 percent.

Dream11 & Fan2Play Prediction

Base team:

• Wicket-keepers: Alyssa Healy
• Batters: Beth Mooney, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma
• All-rounders: Ellyse Perry
• Bowlers: Tayla Vlaeminck, Poonam Yadav

Also read: Fan2Play vs Dream11 – What’s the difference?

Match Prediction

Australia will once again start as favorites but given the way India have played on this tour, don’t rule out the possibility of them claiming a 1-0 lead on Thursday.

Written by Yash Mittal. Follow Yash on Twitter today.