Melbourne, Mar 7 (UNI) India will aim for their maiden ICC Women's T20 World Cup title as they lock horns with four-time champions Australia in the final on International Women's Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here on Sunday.
India reached into the final unbeaten after topping the group stage where they had beaten the Australia in the tournament-opener.
The unbeaten record in the group stages helped India enter their first-ever T20 World Cup final despite their semi-final clash against England being called-off without a ball bowled due to rain in Sydney.
On the other hand, Australia had defeated South Africa in a rain-affected second semi-final on Thursday to make it to their seventh T20 World Cup final in the tournament's history.
Teenager Shafali Verma has been the exceptional performer for Team India. Shafali, 16, has hit 161 runs in four innings at an impressive strike rate of over 160.
With the ball, India's spin-heavy bowling attack led by Poonam Yadav has contributed massively to the team's success so far in the competition.
Poonam is the joint-highest wicket taker in the tournament along with Australia's Megan Schutt, both picking nine wickets each. It will be interesting to see how Australians play Poonam on Sunday as the leggie was all over them in the tournament opener.
However, India will need more the from the likes of Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet, if they have to win their maiden ICC trophy.
Meg Lanning led Australia know how to win the big moments in high-pressure games, having made their sixth successive final in seven editions.
However, Australia will miss the services of pacer Tayla Vlaeminck and star all-rounder Elysse Perry, who were ruled out of the tournament due to injuries.
Australia's men's team pacer Mitchell Starc will also be in attendance, rooting for the home team and his wife Alyssa Healy after getting clearance to leave South Africa in the middle of the tour.
The iconic MCG will be packed on Sunday as more than 75,000 tickets have been sold for the all-important final between India and Australia. The figure could go as high as 90,000, which is unprecedented in women's cricket.
UNI AVK NC1620