In their first match in the present T20 World Cup 2024, India was humiliated by New Zealand by 58 runs. However, they turned things around and defeated Pakistan by six wickets. That offered the team captained by Harmanpreet Kaur the assurance they needed to win their remaining league games and contend for a semifinal spot.
India’s tournament match against Sri Lanka will come next, and then they play Australia in Dubai in their main match. Vice captain Smriti Mandhana had said earlier that the players are prepared to give it their best in the team’s final two games, which are extremely important. India will be seeking retribution after their disappointing loss to Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final, but they won’t have an easy matchup against Australia.
Smriti Mandhana conducted an analysis and concluded that against Australia, no player could afford to make a mistake.
She continued by saying that although the team is eager to fight hard against the Alyssa Healy-led team, they are all aware of how difficult it will be to defeat the six-time champs.
“As players, every game matters to us; to compete in the World Cup, you must give it your all in every match. Sri Lanka is a strong team in our group. But when it comes to Australia, you know you have to play your best game that day in order to overcome them; you can’t make mistakes and try to minimize them. There is enthusiasm to take on that task on that particular day since they are a formidable squad, so facing them and winning is a goal, Mandhana said to Star Sports.
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India is now ranked fourth in terms of group A points. New Zealand comes in first, then Australia, then Pakistan. India needs to be in the top two in order to advance to the semi-final. They may very well need to increase their net run rate since they cannot afford to lose to Australia and Sri Lanka.