India Wins the Toss and Elects to Bat
India has chosen to bat first in the third women's T20 international against Australia. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed confidence in the Adelaide pitch, stating it looks favorable for batting and aiming to set a competitive total. Australia's captain Sophie Molineux responded positively to the decision, noting that they had planned to bowl regardless.
The T20 series between Australia and India is currently level, with each team having secured one victory. India capitalized on rain-affected conditions in the opening match by bowling Australia out before the completion of their 20 overs and then reaching 1-50 before rain intervened, securing a comfortable win via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method. Australia bounced back in the second match in Canberra, driven by a determined 88 from Georgia Voll and disciplined bowling from Annabel Sutherland during critical moments. India’s openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana started strongly with the bat; however, after Shafali's dismissal, the scoring rate slowed. Despite a robust middle-order partnership between Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh, India fell short, and Australia won by 19 runs.
Tonight’s match holds special significance for Australia as Ellyse Perry will play her 350th international match across all formats, becoming the first Australian woman and the third player overall to reach this milestone. Perry is highly regarded within the team, and her teammates are eager to secure a victory and deliver a strong performance to honor her achievement.
Both teams have maintained consistent line-ups, with Australia fielding the same eleven players as in previous matches. India has made one change. Players yet to feature for Australia include Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris, and Megan Schutt, while India has Vaishnavi Sharma, Uma Chetry, and Bharti Fulmali available as reserves.
The toss is imminent, and anticipation builds as the teams prepare to contest this crucial match.
"India have decided to have a bat – captain Harmanpreet Kaur thinks the Adelaide pitch looks good for batting and she wants to put a good total on the board."
"Australia captain Sophie Molineux says they were going to bowl anyway, so she’s happy with the call!"
