Two years after a riveting clash at the Carrara Oval in 2021, India and Australia are all set to lock horns with each other in Test cricket and the battle lines have been drawn at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The hosts are chuffed after their first-ever Test victory over England on home turf and are expected to come hard at the Aussies in home conditions.
India are bolstered by how the two debutant batters Jemimah Rodrigues and Shubha Satheesh played in the Test against England at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. Jemimah and Shubha scored half-centuries each in the first innings and were the major contributors to India's mammoth first innings total of 428.
Deepti Sharma was the star with the ball for the hosts and yet again proved the point why she is rated as one of the best spinners going around in Indian circles. The spin-bowling allrounder was at the peak of her powers and dented England with match figures of 9/38. She had also scored 67 in the first innings and will be the player to watch out for against Australia.
On the other hand, there has been a change in leadership role in the Australian women's cricket team, with Alyssa Healy taking over as full-time captain after the retirement of Meg Lanning. Healy has got a strong squad with her and a reliable deputy in Tahlia McGrath.
Australia's squad wears a formidable look and has players who can adapt to the spin-friendly conditions in India and that's what makes the contest a must-watch.
Wankhede Stadium Pitch Report:
Just like the DY Patil, the wicket at the Wankhede Stadium will be batting-friendly early on and will deteriorate as the game progresses. The team winning the toss would love to bat the other team out of the game. Spinners will rule the roost from day 2 onwards as shot-making will become an arduous task. The team that will play spin better will end up winning the fixture.
