Australia set to start new era; Harmanpreet eyes short-format dominance as first T20I starts in Sydney

Sydney [Australia], February 15 (ANI): Team India will continue its mission for the 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup as they start their tour to Australia with the first T20I at Sydney on Sunday. While Team India will continue to have skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana at the forefront, for Australia, it will mark a moment of transition as this is skipper Alyssa Healy's farewell series during the ODI and Test leg, with Sophie Molineux as their T20I captain and later, their all-format captain.
India has had more experience playing T20Is recently, having swept Sri Lanka in a five-match series after their ODI World Cup win in late December last year, and many of its marquee players played a crucial role in the Women's Premier League (WPL). On the other hand, Australia have played only three T20Is in the past year, with all three coming against New Zealand. Their recent T20I form could be the key in handing Australia a series defeat at their own backyard, with the Aussies having lost just one out of their last 19 bilateral series, as per ESPNCricinfo.
Speaking ahead of the match, Indian skipper Harmanpreet said, as quoted by cricket.com.au, that the team is aiming to complete all their targets, including beating Australia at their home ahead of the T20 WC this year in the UK.
"We are really working hard to achieve all our targets. Winning the (ODI) World Cup was one of them, so we are on the right track. We are just working really hard, and hopefully we will keep bringing our best whenever we play. We know Australia are very strong. We have seen they have been playing really good cricket for such a long time. One thing is very clear, whenever you go with a great mindset and a good, positive approach, you can always bring your best," she added.
On the other hand, Molineux has reflected on the need not to make any changes despite semifinal finishes in the last two ICC events, the Women's World Cup 2025 and T20 WC 2024.
"I do not think it is big changes. I do not think any of us think that. It is probably really small things that you have to keep evolving as the game does around you.
"There is definitely some learning to have been had from those (losses) ... but we are in a really lucky and fortunate (place), we have got generational talent at both ends of their careers in Phoebe Lichfield and Annabel Sutherland, then Ellyse Perry and Megan Schutt as well at the other end and everything in between. It is about bringing that all together and fine-tuning the way we want to play."
Also, the wicketkeeper-batter Beth Mooney is just 25 runs away from overtaking legendary compatriot Meg Lanning as the nation's leading run-getter in women's T20Is. Currently, she is at 3,381 runs in 112 matches and 106 innings at an average of 42.26 and a strike rate of 125.73, with two centuries and 27 fifties.
Squads:

India Women Squad: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh(w), Amanjot Kaur, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur, Bharti Fulmali, Sneh Rana, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil, Gunalan Kamalini

Australia Women's Squad: Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney(w), Georgia Voll, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Kim Garth, Sophie Molineux(c), Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown, Grace Harris, Nicola Carey, Georgia Wareham. (ANI)