india captain Harmanpreet Kaur Said that when the two teams meet, each team will focus on its own game rather than Australia’s record, a match that could decide India’s place in the semi-finals of the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.India will take on Australia in their final Group A match at Lord’s and they know a win will boost their chances of reaching the semi-finals.
Speaking on JioStar, Harmanpreet said that despite Alisha Healy’s retirement, Australia is still one of the strongest teams.“We recently played a T20I series against Australia at their home ground and we performed well. That series gave us confidence. It’s not that the Australian team has become weaker after Alisha Healy retired. They are still a very strong team. They have a vast pool of players and a system that continues to produce quality cricketers. Moving a player away doesn’t change that,” Cowher said.Australia, led by all-rounder Sophie MolyneuxThey have won all four games in the tournament so far. Another win against India will ensure their place in the semi-finals.Praising Molineux’s leadership skills, Harmanpreet said, “Sophie Molyneux is also a great captain. She leads from the front and knows how to get the best out of her players. She remains calm under pressure and reads the game well. She has been with the Australian team for a long time, so she understands the dynamics of the team. Under her leadership, they will be well prepared.”“She added: “We have always given them tough competition in big games. Our mentality remains the same; we will give our all, work hard and try to dominate them in every aspect. We know they are a strong team, but we also know we have what it takes to match them. “The India skipper said her team is focusing on its own plans rather than spending time thinking about Australia’s strengths.“We know Australia have great cricketers. They have world-class players in every department. But we don’t spend too much time thinking about them. We focus on our own skills. We talk about what we need to do on match day, our batting plan, the length of our bowling and our fielding standards. We talk about how to use our skills under pressure,” she said.She concluded: “We know what Australia has achieved in the past but when we step on the field it doesn’t matter. It’s just a matter of what we can do and how we can win games. So we focus on ourselves. We talk about our strengths and how we can use them against them. That’s what we will continue to do.”
