Visakhapatnam, Oct 11 (NationPress) "Will to win" -- this is the motto of the ICC Women's ODI World Cup 2025 and is prominently displayed at various locations around the venues and on billboards.

The Indian women's cricket team must embody this motto when they step onto the field for their upcoming matches, as they enter a pivotal stage of their World Cup journey.

After suffering a defeat against South Africa, thanks to a remarkable performance by Nadine de Klerk, Harmanpreet Kaur's squad faces a tough challenge against the defending champions, Australia, in a vital match of the 2025 ICC Women's ODI World Cup this Sunday, with significant stakes riding on the result.

This match will be followed by critical encounters with former champions England and New Zealand, who, alongside Australia, India, and South Africa, are vying for four semifinal berths. With Australia and England likely to secure two of those spots, India must pull off some surprise victories to advance to the knockout rounds. The Indian team needs to display both determination and the will to win in substantial measures on Sunday and in subsequent matches, or risk missing out on the opportunity to shine.

Entering this esteemed tournament as the second favorite after Australia, India began their campaign with high hopes of clinching their inaugural ICC title in women's cricket.

They kicked off with victories against co-hosts Sri Lanka and Pakistan in their initial matches. However, they faced a setback against South Africa, despite bouncing back from a challenging 102/6 to post 251 runs, thanks to Richa Ghosh's stellar 77-ball 94 and a quick 33 from Sneh Rana.

India managed to reduce South Africa to 142/6 but couldn't capitalize on the momentum as de Klerk's unbeaten 84, aided by Chloe Tryon's 49, propelled South Africa to 252/7, securing a three-wicket victory with seven balls remaining. Currently, India has four points from three matches, placing them third in the standings. The upcoming clash with Australia will significantly impact their position.

The loss to South Africa highlighted weaknesses in the Indian squad, including an underperforming top order, limited pace options, and ineffective bowling during the death overs. Some of these issues were evident during the pre-World Cup ODI series against Australia, where they conceded a staggering 412 runs in the third ODI.

The top-order players had performed well in that series, with Smriti Mandhana in excellent form, scoring the highest runs, including two centuries and one fifty. Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol also contributed half-centuries. However, Mandhana has struggled to make a significant impact in the World Cup thus far, while Pratika has scored 37 runs each in the matches against Sri Lanka and South Africa. Harleen performed slightly better in the opening match.

Key batters like Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues are yet to deliver a substantial performance, with Jemimah having scores of 0, 32, and 0 in her three outings. The batting lineup has shown vulnerability against left-arm spinners and has been plagued by a high percentage of dot balls, going for 50-60 balls without a boundary.

On the bowling side, the spinners excelled in the first two matches but faltered against South Africa when Tryon and de Klerk found their rhythm.

The Indian team may consider strengthening their bowling attack by introducing pacer Renuka Singh, as their strategy of fielding five specialist bowlers limits their options.

Facing the formidable Australians, the Indian side must step up their game. They recently triumphed over the reigning World Champions in the second ODI of their recent series. India needs to recapture the spirit of that match on Sunday, excelling in both batting and bowling while leveraging the conditions.

Australia currently tops the points table with five points from three matches, following their encounter with Sri Lanka in Colombo, which was abandoned due to rain.

They began with a convincing win against New Zealand but faced challenges in their third game against Pakistan, finding themselves at 77/6 in the 27th over. Beth Money played a crucial role, scoring a fighting century (109 off 117 balls), aided by No. 9 batter Alana King (51), pushing Australia to a respectable total of 221/9. Their bowlers, led by Kim Garth (3-14) and supported by Megan Schutt (2-25) and Annabel Sutherland (2-15), bowled out Pakistan for 114, securing a comprehensive 107-run victory.

This resounding win not only showcased the strengths of the Australian team but also highlighted the resilience of their players, who managed to bounce back after losing seven wickets.

However, the Australians must address their issues. They have faced collapses in both completed games, often finding themselves in trouble after promising starts, a situation they aim to avoid against India. Given India’s struggles against left-arm spin, having lost 12 wickets in three matches, the Australian management may consider recalling Sophie Molineux, who had an impressive three-wicket haul against New Zealand.

It promises to be a challenging examination for the Indian team, but they can draw confidence from their recent victory over Australia.

In terms of head-to-head statistics, the Australians hold the upper hand, having won 48 out of 59 encounters, while India has managed to secure victory in 11. Since the 2017 World Cup, India has won only two of their 16 matches against Australia.

The pitch for Sunday’s pivotal match at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium is expected to be slow and somewhat challenging for batting. Spinners will likely receive ample support, but batters who apply themselves will succeed. Batting may be easier during the latter half of the innings, while pacers might be susceptible to aggressive batting in the death overs.

Potential playing XIs:

India: Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Amanjot Kaur, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh.

Australia: Alyssa Healy (c & wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Elyse Perry, Beth Money, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Georgia Wareham, Kim Garth, Alana King, Megan Schutt.