New Delhi. The Indian women’s team is facing arch-rival Australia in its fifth and last match of Group A of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. In this do or die match being played at the historic Lord’s ground in London, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and decided to bat first. This match is very important for the Indian team to get the ticket for the semi-finals. Looking at the equations of Group A, this match is no less than a final for the Indian team. If the Indian team is successful in defeating Australia, then it will secure its place in the top-2 of Group A and directly qualify for the semi-finals.
Defeat in this match will directly mean that the journey of the Indian team in T20 World Cup 2026 will end here. Putting pressure on Australia by scoring a big score on the Lord’s pitch will be the main strategy of captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Considering the importance of this big match, both the teams have made one change each in their playing eleven.
India dropped Nandini Sharma and included Kranti Gaur in the playing eleven.
Kranti Gaur returns to the Indian team
The Indian team has made changes in its final eleven and recalled fast bowler Kranti Gaur. He has been included in the team in place of Nandani Sharma. 22-year-old Kranti Gaur took part in the first two matches of the tournament, but she failed to take any wicket. On the other hand, Nandani Sharma, who was dropped, had taken one wicket in the last match against Bangladesh at Old Trafford on Thursday. Despite this, the team management has reposed confidence in Kranti’s experience considering the conditions at Lord’s.
Phoebe Litchfield included in Australian team
On the other hand, the Australian team has strengthened its batting by reducing its bowling a bit. He has included top-order batsman Phoebe Litchfield in the playing eleven in place of spinner Alana King. This left-handed batsman will bat at number 3 in this match.
Deepti Sharma on the threshold of creating history
In this great match, all eyes will be on Indian team’s star all-rounder Deepti Sharma. Deepti not only gives balance to the team, but she is also very close to creating history in this match. 28-year-old Deepti Sharma, one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of women’s cricket, needs just 1 wicket to create history in international cricket. Currently, Deepti Sharma and former Indian fast bowler Jhulan Goswami jointly have 355-355 wickets in their names in international cricket. By taking one wicket in today’s match, Deepti will overtake Jhulan and become the world’s highest wicket-taker in the history of women’s cricket.
Playing eleven of both the teams
India: Smriti Mandhana, Shefali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Shri Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Gaur.
Australia: Beth Mooney (wk), Georgia Wall, Phoebe Lichfield, Ellyse Perry, Ashley Gardner, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Sophie Molineux (c), Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton.
