Anjum Chopra, the ex-captain of India, expressed her wish that Australia would have an off day against India during the Women's T20 World Cup semifinals. The match between India and Australia is scheduled to take place at Newlands in Cape Town and is the first semifinal of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023. India secured their spot in the tournament's final four by defeating Ireland, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, while Australia remained undefeated in the group stage to advance to the semifinals.
UPDATE _ - Pacer Pooja Vastrakar has been ruled out due to an upper respiratory tract infection!
The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023 has approved @SnehRana15 as a replacement for Pooja Vastrakar in the India squad! #T20WorldCup | #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/NKiTvp22Hn
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) February 23, 2023
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"Australia have a strong base. Their domestic structure is really good. They have many replacements available. If one player is not doing well, then the other steps in. They know how to win matches from tough situations. They are aware of how to perform in big games. Basically, they know everything," Chopra said on her Youtube channel.
"But everyone has at least one bad day. They are also a cricket team, we are also a cricket team. They can have at least one bad day. I just hope Australia have a bad day against India in the semi-final and India have a good day. I want a very good contest with a good crowd at Newlands and an Indian win."
One of India's main concerns heading into the semifinal is the form of their key batters as Shafali Verma and skipper Harmanpreet have both struggled in scoring runs.
Analyzing India's batting performance in the T20 World Cup so far, Chopra said: "Smriti times the ball so well. I wondered why she was putting unnecessary pressure on herself against Ireland. The same goes for Shafali Verma. She also plays so well. Harmanpreet Kaur's bat needs to fire and the middle-order needs to chip in."
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"India will have to put in that extra effort with the ball. Alyssa Healy, Ash Gardner and Meg Lanning will come out strongly with the bat. India's bowling and fielding will need to be strong. It's important to do the basics right."
Defending champions Australia head into the semi-finals with a 3-2 upper hand over India in Women's T20 World Cup matches. They got the better of India in the 2020 T20 World Cup final and Commonwealth Games sumit clash match last year.
