Last Updated on 2 months by Charbel Coorey

T20 World Cup Final: AUS-W vs IND-W Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | AUS-W vs IND-W Dream11 Prediction | Australia Women vs India Women Dream11 | MCG Pitch Report | AUS-W vs IND-W Key Players

Here we are. One of the biggest (if not the biggest) women’s matches ever is about to get underway at the iconic MCG.

What a massive step forward for the women’s game. The game continues to go from strength to strength, and this step is one that has been anticipated for quite some time, and one that will be remembered for years to come.

A World Cup Final. Huge MCG crowd. International Women’s Day. It is set up perfectly.

And, it was meant to be that Australia are here. Battling the absence of Ellyse Perry, South Africa and rain all at the same time, the Australians prevailed, showcasing their ability – once again – to win matches without being at their best. One of the biggest days of their lives is upon them, so it remains to be seen how they handle this occasion.

India got through their Semi Final courtesy of rain, but take nothing away from their superb tournament. They topped a group containing both Australia and New Zealand without losing a single game, and will fancy their chances in front of what will almost certainly be a large Indian contingent at the MCG.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

• Shafali Verma has arguably been Player of the Tournament. Her strike rate of 161.00 has been crucial in allowing India to get fast starts.
• She has contributed in every match in this World Cup: 29, 39, 46 and 47. Also, her last three scores vs Australia are: 49 (28), 10 (9) and 29 (15).
• Meg Lanning’s calmness under pressure this tournament has helped Australia. Her 41* (44) vs Sri Lanka and 49* (49) vs South Africa shows how well she stands up when needed.
• Alyssa Healy scored 51 (35) vs India in the tournament opener.
• But, it’s often been Beth Mooney who has stepped up for Australia. She has five fifties in her last 10 T20I knocks, including 71* (54) in last month’s Tri-Series Final vs India.
• Mooney is Australia’s top run-scorer this tournament with 181 runs at an average of 45.25 and SR 118.30.
• Smriti Mandhana has had a quiet T20 World Cup by her standards (38 runs, avg. 12.66). But, she has a superb record vs Australia (384 runs, avg. 42.67), so is this game made for her?
• Harmanpreet Kaur’s poor form (40 runs in last five innings) has been well-documented. However, all that will be forgotten with a great innings in this match.
• Poonam Yadav took the most wickets in the group stage (9). This included an incredible 4/19 vs Australia. Shikha Pandey took 3/14 in the same game.
• Megan Schutt has shot up to equal first in the wicket-takers list in this T20 World Cup. She has taken eight wickets in her last three games.
• Jess Jonassen has taken seven wickets in her last two games vs India, including 5/12 in last month’s Tri-Series Final.
• Radha Yadav has taken five wickets in two games this tournament. Rajeshwari Gayakwad has had a fine tour of Australia (Tri-Series and T20 World Cup): 15 wickets in her nine games.

Stats and Facts

• Head-to-Head: Matches 19, Australia 13, India 6.
• India have won three of the five past meetings against Australia. Also, India have won the last two matches against Australia in T20 World Cups.
• This is India’s first ever T20 World Cup Final. Australia will be playing their sixth, with four Titles currently to their name.
• Deepti Sharma scored 49* (46) and took 0/17 (4) vs Australia earlier this tournament.
• The world record crowd for a women’s sporting event is 90,185 in the 1999 Football World Cup Final. This match could beat it.

Key to an Australia win

Having your husband leave a tour early to come watch you is something special. So, Alyssa Healy will be keen to own this occasion, with the talented keeper-batswoman showing some of her best form this tournament. Can she repeat her earlier innings vs India to set the tone for the likes of Beth Mooney, Ash Gardner and Meg Lanning to build on? How well will Australia handle India’s spinners, who ran havoc in the tournament opener?

Also, like the case vs South Africa, Megan Schutt has a vital role to play in the absence of Ellyse Perry. Can she find significant inswing to breach the strokeplay of Shafali Verma, who has been crucial to India’s batting? And, can Australia’s attack, focused on variety, maintain pressure from both ends?

Key to an India win

India’s middle order has often struggled in recent times, highlighted by Harmanpreet Kaur’s difficulties. So, the role of Shafali Verma can’t be understated, making her a crucial player in the Final. However, India can’t rely on a teenager to supply the runs, so the onus is on the likes of Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues to also make key contributions.

Also, the battle between India’s spinners and Australia’s batters will play a huge part in deciding the result. Poonam Yadav ripped through Australia a couple of weeks ago, and if she can do so again, India may very well be lifting the cup. However, she needs strong support from Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav and Rajeshwari Gayakwad (plus Shikha Pandey), who have all been in good touch.

Possible Playing 11

Australia: 1. Alyssa Healy (wk), 2. Beth Mooney, 3. Meg Lanning (c), 4. Ashleigh Gardner, 5. Rachael Haynes, 6. Jess Jonassen, 7. Nicola Carey, 8. Delissa Kimmince, 9. Sophie Molineux, 10. Georgia Wareham, 11. Megan Schutt

India: 1. Shafali Verma, 2. Smriti Mandhana, 3. Jemimah Rodrigues, 4. Harmanpreet Kaur (c), 5. Deepti Sharma, 6. Veda Krishnamurthy, 7. Shikha Pandey, 8. Taniya Bhatia (wk), 9. Radha Yadav, 10. Rajeshwari Gayakwad, 11. Poonam Yadav

MCG Pitch Report and Conditions

In Nasser Hussain’s pitch report, he says the pitch looks a good one. It is a pretty hard surface, with some grass rolled in to ensure it holds up well. If you win the toss, you surely bat first in a final and build scoreboard pressure.

The forecast for Sunday is mostly sunny and 23 degrees in Melbourne. 75,000+ tickets had been sold by Saturday afternoon, which could rise to 90,000. Exciting.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

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Match Prediction

What an occasion this promises to be, and we can’t wait.

India will be out to give Australia a very tough game. Given the way they are playing, they are more than capable of doing so.

However, Australia, even without Perry, are very tough to beat in these types of games. When you consider past experience in Finals, plus home ground advantage, Australia might just pull this off.

Thanks for reading!