Australia Women have won the toss and opted to bat against India in the second semi-final of the Women’s World Cup in Navi Mumbai. The highly anticipated clash pits Harmanpreet Kaur’s in-form Indian side against defending champions Australia, with a spot in Sunday’s final at stake.

Australian skipper Alyssa Healy, who missed the last two matches due to injury, returned to lead the team in this crucial knockout encounter. Speaking at the toss, Healy said, “We are gonna bat today. Looks great conditions today. The wicket won’t change much. An opportunity for us to put runs on the board. Just a little old. Feeling good. I’m grateful to get that 10-day period because we qualified early and it helped me recover for this clash.”

Healy acknowledged the high-stakes nature of the contest, adding, “It’s a semi-final. It’s a knockout fixture. It’s basically whoever plays better gets the win. Put a good performance and be back here on Sunday.” Australia made one change to their XI, with Sophie Molineux coming in for Georgia Wareham.

India, meanwhile, made three changes to their line-up. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur confirmed that Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, and Kranti replace Harleen Deol, Uma Chetry, and the injured Pratika. “We were thinking to bat first as well but it’s a great opportunity for us to get early breakthroughs as it’s overcast conditions,” Harmanpreet said after the toss.

The India captain expressed confidence in her side’s familiarity with the conditions in Navi Mumbai. “We know these conditions really well. We have camps regularly over here so we know how the pitch plays. We had two good games in this tournament here as well. We are very much aware of the pitch and the conditions.”

Reflecting on India’s memorable win over Australia in the 2017 semi-final, Harmanpreet said the team would aim to play with the same fearless approach. “That day also we played fearless cricket and whenever we face Australia, we always talk about being fearless and enjoying ourselves. Today also we should go with the same mindset,” she added.

India Women Playing XI: Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Amanjot Kaur, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Kranti Goud, Nallapureddy Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur

Australia Women Playing XI: Alyssa Healy (c & wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Kim Garth, Alana King, Megan Schutt

– Ends