‘Must dominate Australia, still strong despite Healy’s retirement’:Jemimah, Harmanpreet reveal plans for virtual quarter-final clash in Women’s T20 WC

India are all set to turn their focus toward mighty Australia in a virtual quarter-final clash at Lord’s in the Women’s T20 World Cup. Notably, Women in Blue’s semi-final hopes hinge on their victory against the Aussies, as they entered a do-or-die territory for each game after their loss to South Africa in a group clash. While speaking on JioStar’s ‘Champions Huddle’, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Amol Muzumdar discussed the mindset required to overcome the Australian challenge, the importance of matching the six-time champions’ intensity even without Alyssa Healy and the belief India have gained from their recent success against them. ‘Aussies never let you settle, you must dominate’: Jemimah Talking about what India need to do to dominate Australia, star batter Jemimah Rodrigues emphasised, “The thing about Australia is that they never let you settle. They are always attacking, always putting pressure. If you want to do well against them, you can’t be defensive. You must dominate and take the game to them.” Jemi further added that it all comes to matching that intensity. She mentioned that Shafali Verma and Renuka Thakur have a good record with the bat and ball against Australia. However, in crunch situations, it all comes down to execution, and everything falls into place. ‘Australia still strong after Alyssa Healy’s retirement’: Harmanpreet Kaur Where Jemimah pointed out the strategy, India’s Captain Harmanpreet Kaur mapped the collective strength of Australia even without Alyssa Healy. She said, “We recently played a T20I series against Australia on their home soil, and we performed well. That series gave us confidence. It’s not that after Alyssa Healy’s retirement, Australia have become weaker. They are still a very strong side. They have a deep pool of players and a system that keeps producing quality cricketers.” Reflecting on the Aussie squad under the captaincy of Sophie Molineux, Harman mentioned, “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 the match day, our batting plans, our bowling lengths, and our fielding standards. We discuss how we can execute our skills under pressure.” ‘Indian team is very different from what it was 2 years ago’: Amol Muzumdar Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Champions Huddle’, India’s Head Coach Amol Mazumdar also spoke on the crucial Australia clash and what has changed in the Indian dressing room since he joined the camp. Muzumudar said, “When I joined the team as head coach in October 2023, there was a need for a reset in the dressing room. The team needed a shake-up, a change in mindset, approach, and attitude. This Indian women’s team is very different from what it was two years ago.” Coach Amol did not undermine Australia’s strength but backed his confidence on the fact that India had beaten the Aussies 2-1 in a T20 series down under. That was the first time Women in Blue had ever beaten Australia in a T20 series.