India and Australia clash in a high-stakes Women’s World Cup 2025 match in Visakhapatnam. India faces Mandhana’s form and middle-order woes, while Australia aims to fix batting lapses. A key test of skill and strategy for both sides.
Team India and the defending champions, Australia, will lock horns in the much-anticipated clash of the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 at Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, October 12.
India had a great start to their quest for a maiden World Cup title with two successive wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan before facing their first defeat of the campaign at the hands of South Africa. Australia, on the other hand, won two matches against New Zealand and Pakistan, and their clash against Sri Lanka ended in a no result due to rain.
Both teams, India and Australia, enter the match with strong momentum and high stakes, eager to assert their dominance in the Women’s World Cup clash.
Smriti Mandhana’s Form, India’s Middle-Order Woes
As Team India aims to bounce back from the defeat against South Africa, the hosts have certain concerns that need to be addressed ahead of the much-anticipated match against Australia. Opener and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana struggled with her form in the last three games, with scores of 8, 23, and 23, and amassed 54 at an average of 18.
The southpaw’s inconsistency at the top had put pressure on her opening partner, Pratika Rawal, and the middle-order, forcing them to take additional responsibility to stabilize the innings. Since Mandhana is one of the key players in India’s quest for the World Cup title, she needs to return to form and deliver her best to anchor the innings and give India a strong platform against a formidable Australian side.
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Another key issue for Team India is the middle-order, which has been quite inconsistent. In the match against South Africa, the middle order suffered a dramatic collapse, being reduced from 83/2 to 102/6, losing four wickets in just 19 runs before Richa Ghosh rescued the team from a shambolic situation. A similar pattern of collapse in the middle-order was witnessed in the tournament opener against Sri Lanka, where the hosts were reduced from 120/3 to 124/6.
The Women in Blue need to fix their middle order woes if they are to defeat the strong Australia side, which consists of a world-class bowling attack by Megan Schutt and Ash Gardner.
India’s bowling unit has been solid in the tournament thus far, with Deepti Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Sneh Rana, Amanjot Kaur, and Shree Charani consistently delivering disciplined spells and picking crucial wickets in the middle overs.
Australia’s Power-Packed Line-up Eyes Dominance
The defending champions, Australia, are quite a formidable side compared to other participating teams in the ongoing Women’s World Cup 2025. They are currently one of two unbeaten teams, alongside England, in the tournament so far. Australia are stacked with world-class players across departments, including batting and bowling.
However, in the last match against Pakistan, the defending champions suffered a major collapse in the batting line-up before Beth Mooney (109), alongside a 106-run stand for the eighth wicket to pull the team out of a messy situation before the bowlers did a fine job to bundle out the Women in Green for 114 to register a 107-run victory.
Though the top and middle-order failed to deliver in the clash against Pakistan, leading to a collapse in the batting line-up, the Australian camp will be keen to ensure that such a batting slump does not repeat against India. With experienced campaigners like skipper Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, and Tahila McGrath in their ranks, along with Beth Mooney’s sublime touch, Australia will look to regain its trademark batting fluency.
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Australia’s bowling unit has been quite impressive in the tournament, showcasing consistency and depth. Led by pacers Annabel Sutherland and Megan Schutt, supported by spin bowling duo of Ashleigh Gardner and Alana King, the attack has dismantled their opposition batting line-up in the matches against New Zealand and Pakistan.
With Ellyse Perry, Sutherland, and Gardner adding balance to the line-up through their all-round skills, Australia’s bowling attack is expected to pose a stern collapse to India’s batting line-up.
India vs Australia Head-to-Head
India and Australia are set to lock horns for the 60th time in the history of Women’s ODI cricket. In the last 59 meetings, Australia emerged victorious on 48 occasions, while the Women in Blue won only 11 times, highlighting Australia’s clear dominance in the format.
The most recent meeting was in the third and final of the ODI series, where Australia defeated Team India by 43 runs to clinch the series 2-1. India clinched the most famous win over Australia in the 2017 World Cup, where they defeated the then-defending champions in the semifinal, with Harmanpreet Kaur playing one of the greatest knocks in Women’s ODIs, scoring 171 off 115 balls.
In the Women’s ODI World Cups, India and Australia have met 13 times, with the seven-time champions winning on 10 occasions, while the Women in Blue have managed to register three memorable victories, including the iconic 2017 semifinal triumph.
Prediction
The Women’s World Cup 2025 clash between India and Australia is yet another much-anticipated showdown after India vs Pakistan and Australia vs New Zealand. Both sides are expected to put their best foot forward in what promises to be a thrilling clash between two cricketing powerhouses in Visakhapatnam.
The defending champions, Australia, will enter the match as the favourites to win, given their formidability as a squad and head-to-head ODI record against Team India. However, playing in home conditions could work in India’s favour if the top-order and middle-order fire on a batting-friendly track. The spinners will have a huge role to play in exploiting any turn and variable, with Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana, alongside Kranti Gaud, who can apply pressure in the middle overs.
If openers Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal build a solid partnership at the top order, and the middle order holds steady, the Women in Blue have the potential to challenge Australia’s dominance and pull off an upset.