Women’S T20 World Cup: Australia are a strong team but we can beat them, says India’s Richa Ghosh |

NEW DELHI: India’s star keeper-batter Richa Ghosh said on Wednesday that the five-time champions Australia are ‘beatable’. India will lock horns with the Southern Stars in the semi-final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on Thursday.
Australia has been India’s bogey team in recent years but Ghosh is confident that Meg Lanning‘s team is a beatable one.
“Australia are beatable, in our last series we beat them and we have also done it before. They are a strong team but we can beat them,” Ghosh said on the eve of their all-important semi-final at Newlands, Cape Town.
“We are trying to improve our mindset. Everyone has the game but the team that is mentally strong will win. We have been working on that,” Ghosh added.
Australia have been a dominant force in the format since winning the last edition in 2020 at home. In the last 22 months, Australia have lost just one T20I and that defeat came against India away from home via a Super Over. The five-time champions are unbeaten in the tournament so far, having won all their group stage matches.
Ghosh feels beating Australia will be a “huge confidence booster” heading into the big final.

Although India lost the five-match series 1-4 against Australia in December, the scoreline did not do justice to how hard the ‘Women in Blue’ pushed the world’s top-ranked team across the five games. And once again Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. are aiming to do the same.
Having played in the December series, the U-19 World Cup-winning teenager said that India plan to exploit Australia’s weaknesses.
“We know the weak spot of Australia and we are planning against it but I will not say what that (weakness) is because then they will come prepared,” Ghosh said.
The hard-hitting Ghosh said India will play an attacking game similar to Australia.

“They attack a lot. So, whatever happens to them, even if the batter is out, they don’t leave the attacking. Because they have batters from top to bottom. We also have batter from top to bottom. So, we will play an attacking game,” Ghosh said.
The star India batter Ghosh added that India would need to put up at least 180 on board to challenge the depth of the Australian batting line-up.
“Australia is comfortable chasing because they bat deep, we do too, but the toss is not in anyone’s hand. So whatever the situation, we will have to go through with it. We have plans,” Ghosh, India’s best finisher by a distance, said.
“We don’t know how the pitch will behave tomorrow but it looks nice. We can target 180 on this if all our batters click and while bowling we will try to restrict them to 140-150 because they have a good batting line up,” Ghosh said.
In Ghosh, India has unearthed a much-needed finisher and the youngster hasn’t disappointed. Talking about her game, she said: “There are ups and downs always, even though I had them but have learnt a lot from there, how you can handle a situation. When I go to bat, my handling of pressure has improved.”
“I only see the ball and try to play according to it, I dont see who is bowling because if we start thinking that a top bowler is bowling then the nervousness creeps in,” she said.
(With inputs from PTI)