In a highly anticipated series opener, India Women, fresh off a series win against England, will clash with an in-form Australia Women, who are riding a 12-match winning streak. The two teams face off on September 14, 2025, at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. Ahead of this humdinger of a contest, have a look at our India Women vs Australia Women preview, head to head record, pitch report, probable playing xi.
Indian Women vs Australia Women Preview
It is time for the preparation for the Women's ODI World Cup, as this three-match ODI series serves as a warm-up for the World Cup, which is going to start in a couple of weeks' time. The world champions, Australia, have the perfect opportunity to get accustomed to the conditions in the subcontinent and also try some team combinations with the number of all-rounders they have in their ranks.
While for the home team, it's all about gaining some momentum ahead of what is expected to be one of the most important tournaments for the women in blue to end their ICC trophy drought. India made a mockery of England Women in their own backyard and have their combinations right, but more importantly, they need some game time for their fast bowlers, especially Renuka Singh Thakur and Arundhati Reddy, who are back in the mix.
Head to Head Record
Australia has dominated India in WODI's, where out of the 56 ODI's played, Australia Women won 46 matches, while India Women managed to win just 10 matches. Most of them coming in India. Australia are unbeaten against India in their last five ODI matches infact the last time Australia toured India, they whitewashed the Women in Blue.
India Women Preview
India Women head into this crucial ODI series on the back of a 2-1 series victory against England Women. However, there are still some questions that India will look to resolve, especially regarding player selection and the ideal team combination.
Will India opt for a four-spin and one-pace combination, or will they prefer a three-spin and two-pace combination? India will need to get their bowling unit right ahead of the marquee tournament, while their batting lineup is well-settled with the top six players being in really good form.
There is an internal battle going on between Shree Charani (9 wickets in 8 matches) and Radha Yadav (8 wickets in 8 matches) for the left-arm spinner spot, and this series provides the opportunity for either of them to seal a spot in the final XI. In the pace department, India will look to give some game time to Renuka Singh, who has recovered from injury and is ready to go. The key for India will be their middle order, who have not been quite tested against a quality bowling
Australian Women Preview
Having only played three ODI matches earlier in the year in the Women's Ashes, where they whitewashed England Women 3-0, Australia enter this series as the favorites. All of the Australian top six, except for Alyssa Healy, have been involved in some form of competitive cricket throughout the English summer. Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, and Beth Mooney are all coming off some exceptional performances in The Women's Hundred.
Australia's strength is their versatility in both the batting and bowling departments, as they have batting depth all the way down to number nine. While Australia may be tempted to play Georgia Voll (173 runs in 3 matches) at the top alongside Alyssa Healy, this would leave them no option but to drop Phoebe Litchfield, who has struggled a bit recently.
Ashleigh Gardner, Georgia Wareham, and Alana King are the primary spin options, but they can also bring Sophie Molineux and Grace Harris into the mix. In the pace department, Megan Schutt will be their go-to bowler alongside Annabel Sutherland and Ellyse Perry. If Australia decides to play an extra seamer, then Kim Garth might play in place of Alana King.
Indian Women vs Australian Women Probable Playing XI
Indian Women Probable Playing XI : Smriti Mandhana , Pratika Rawal , Harmanpreet Kaur (C) , Jemimah Rodrigues , Richa Ghosh (wk), Harleen Deol , Deepti Sharma , Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy
Australian Women Probable Playing XI: Alyssa Healy (C & wk), Beth Mooney, Georgia Voll, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Alana King, Megan Schutt
Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium, Mullanpur Pitch Report
This is the first Women's ODI match this venue is set to host. From the little cricket we have seen in the IPL, the surface at Mullanpur traditionally favors the fast bowlers, and runs are hard to come by.
While the conditions are expected to be humid, there might be some stickiness on the surface which could aid the spinners as well. Overall, we predict it to be a low-scoring encounter where a score of around 200-220 could be a real challenge.
