India Women's predicted playing XI for the semi-final clash against Australia in Women's 20-20 World Cup

India and Australia will clash against each other in the first semifinal of the Women’s 20-20 World Cup 2023 on Thursday, February 23 at The Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town. This is going to be a tough game for the Women in Blue as they will face the no.1 ranked T20I team in the world.

Australia have topped their group and remained unbeaten in the first round of the ongoing tournament. India might need some individual performance from the players in order to qualify for the final. Here we will take a look at the predicted playing XI for the semifinal.

Top Order

Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana (Source - Twitter)

India’s star opener and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana played a breathtaking knock in India’s last group match against Ireland. The star left-hander will look to continue her brilliant form in the semifinal match against Australia on February 23. However, her explosive opening partner Shafali Verma hasn’t found her rhythm yet.

India will surely need Verma’s services in order to get an aggressive start. Jemimah Rodrigues played a brilliant inning in the first match against Pakistan but couldn’t do anything special after that. She will also look to get back in rhythm in the must-win game.

Middle Order

Harleen Deol and Richa Ghosh (Source - Twitter)

India’s destructive wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh displayed her aggressive gameplay whenever she came to bat in the middle. However, she failed to provide anything against Ireland. Ghosh can go against the Australian spinners during the middle overs. Harleen Deol missed some matches in the ongoing Women’s World cup, but India might play her against the mighty Australians as she can play a responsible inning.

Allrounders

Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma (Source - Twitter)

Indian skipper and all-rounder Harmanpreet Kaur will look to show some fireworks with the bat against Australia. She also promoted herself against Ireland as she came to bat at no.3 but couldn’t do anything special. Deepti Sharma’s ability to take wickets in the powerplay can be very beneficial for the Indian team against the Kangaroos.

But Deepti has failed to do anything special for the team till now in the tournament. Pooja Vastrakar has done pretty well in the World Cup so far. Her ability to break crucial partnerships will help India to restrict Australia.

Bowlers

Renuka Singh Thakur and Radha Yadav (Source - Twitter)

Indian speedster Renuka Singh Thakur has performed exceptionally well in the tournament so far. Thakur picked up a fifer against England and conceded only 15 runs in 4 overs. Radha Yadav might lead the spinning department, however, she missed the last group match. Fast bowler Shikha Pandey also bowled well against England as she picked up a wicket while conceding only 20 runs in 4 overs.

Team India’s predicted playing XI against Australia: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav, Renuka Singh Thakur