India A look to seal series

Mumbai: On a roll, the upbeat India A women will look to seal the three-match T20 series when they take on their Australian counterparts in the second game here on Wednesday.

India A began the rubber in style with a four-wicket win against the visitors at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Bandra Kurla Complex facility on Monday. A victory in the second game would help the home team capture a winning lead ahead of Friday’s last match.

The India A team is basically the national team that will represent the country at the World T20 to be hosted by the West Indies next month. The hosts would thus be keen to win the remaining two games to boost their morale ahead of the World Cup. All eyes would again be on youngster Smriti Mandhana, whose form will be crucial for the hosts.

She made a match winning 72 in the first game and would surely like to build upon that going into the all-important ICC event. Same will be the case with experienced Harmanpreet Kaur, who also chipped in with a useful 45 in the lung-opener.

The game will serve as another opportunity for the likes of young Jemimah Rodrigues, wicket keeper Tania Bhatia, Veda Krishnamurthy and others to prove their mettle. India conceded 160 runs in the first game and that would be an area of concern for the team management.

The bowlers will look for an improvised show and work on their weaknesses. On the other hand, the visitors, who clinched the preceding 50-over series 3-0, would strive hard to stay alive in the rubber. A keen contest is thus on the cards.

Rival squads (From): India A: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Mithali Raj, Jemimah Rodrigues, Veda Krishnamurthy, Deepti Sharma, Tanya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Anuja Patil, Ekta Bisht, D Hemalatha, Mansi Joshi, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy.

Australia A: Samantha Bates, Maitlan Brown, Lauren Cheatle, Piepa Cleary, Josephine Dooley, Heather Graham, Sammy Jo Johnson, Tahlia McGrath, Chloe Piparo, Georgia Redmayne, Naomi Stalenberg, Molly Strano, Belinda Vakarewa, Amanda-Jade Wellington.