India-W face stern litmus test against Australia-A with ODI series on the line
The capital of India will light up with one final spark of the ongoing series as the Indian women's team collide with Australia-W to decide the fate of the three-match ODI series. After a brilliant turnaround of affairs in Mullanpur, courtesy of Smriti Mandhana’s blistering ton and a collective display from the bowlers, the Women in Blue will be hopeful of replicating the same momentum to pip the formidable Aussies and garner some crucial steam ahead of the upcoming Women's World Cup 2025.
Despite Mandhana’s century and a fine show from Deepti Sharma, lack of consistency in the batting department will be a major bugbear for India's head coach Amol Mujumdar and company. However, Mandhana and Pratika Rawal’s rich vein of form at the top has hogged the headlines, while the bowlers' grit in the second ODI would have also helped the think-tank breathe a sigh of relief.
A team like Australia will be coming in with renewed vim and vigour, hoping to seal the series in their favour. With that being said, one can expect this to be an evenly-contested encounter, considering the powerhouses that both teams are.
Venue Watch:
The surface in New Delhi has always been one where seam and bounce can be the decisive factors. Both the teams are blessed with bowlers who can make the ball drift emphatically, thereby complicating matters for the batters. Despite the odds, one might expect this to be a fairly close encounter.
Match Details:
Match: India-W vs Australia-W, 3rd ODI, 2025
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium
Date: 20th September, 2025
Time: 1:30 PM IST
Head-to-head:
Matches played: 58
India: 11
Australia: 47
Squads:
India:
Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Richa Ghosh (wk), Kranti Gaud, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Sneh Rana.
Australia:
Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicole Faltum, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Charli Knott, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham
