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Shafali, Charani, and Kranti for India (PC: BCCI Women) India face Australia in their final group-stage fixture knowing there is no room for error. It is a do-or-die contest. If South Africa defeat Bangladesh and India lose to Australia, Harmanpreet Kaur’s side will be knocked out of the Women’s T20 World Cup. Pressure often brings out the very best in elite athletes, and India will need exactly that on Sunday. Every player will have a role to play, but there are three X-factor players who could prove decisive in taking India across the finish line. Shafali Verma (PC: BCCI Women) Shafali Verma Shafali Verma heads into the contest on the back of an impressive half-century against Bangladesh. However, her role extends well beyond her batting. Following her successful spell during the 2025 ODI World Cup, she has increasingly been entrusted with bowling responsibilities, including inside the powerplay. With Beth Mooney’s well-documented discomfort against spin early in her innings, I...

India, Australia, South Africa, and Bangladesh (PC: ICC) Lord’s, the most iconic of cricket grounds, is all set to host two blockbuster matches in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. From Group A, four of the six teams are still in the race for the semi-finals, and all four will be in action on Sunday. South Africa will first take on Bangladesh before India face Australia in the second match of the day. Australia are unbeaten so far, and another victory would seal their place in the semi-finals. However, if they lose, net run rate (NRR) could become the deciding factor, as India and South Africa (provided the Proteas defeat Bangladesh) would also both finish on eight points. For India, the equation is simple. They need to beat Australia and hope Bangladesh stun South Africa. That would eliminate any NRR calculations and send the Women in Blue through to the semi-finals. For South Africa, the priority is to beat Bangladesh, preferably by a significant margin, to further improve their NRR...

Australia Women vs India Women (PC: BCCI) India will go into the Australia game knowing exactly what they need to do to make the semi-finals. South Africa play on Sunday morning (local time), which means India will have the qualification equation in front of them before taking the field. While they will hope Bangladesh can push South Africa all the way, India will not only need to beat Australia but also do so in a manner that ensures qualification for the semi-finals. It will not be easy. India beat Australia in the semi-finals of the 2025 ODI World Cup at home before going on to become world champions. In that sense, this could be a grudge match at Lord’s. Australia will be keen to avenge that defeat and will know that India have not played their best cricket so far. In contrast, the Australians have been outstanding, dominating the tournament with commanding wins over every opponent and boasting a superb net run rate of 4.7. The question everyone is asking is whether India can ri...

Lorcan Tucker (L) with Jai Moondra. (PC: X/@Cricket Ireland) Vaibhav Tripathi & Rohit Juglan Go on Instagram and search for Mitchell Santner. The New Zealand white-ball captain, despite holding a central contract across all formats, has just two words in his bio: part-time cricketer. It’s classic Santner — self-deprecating and a little cheeky. But away from the humour, there are cricketers for whom being “part-time” isn’t a punchline. It’s reality. The most familiar face in that conversation is Saurabh Netravalkar. The Indian-born left-arm seamer became one of the stories of the T20 World Cup, juggling a full-time job in the United States of America with international cricket. In a country where cricket barely registers alongside mainstream sports, Netravalkar showed that chasing two careers at once isn’t just possible — it’s sometimes necessary. Fortunately for him, his employer backs his cricketing commitments whenever international du...

  India Women (PC: BCCI Women)   Trisha Ghosal, London London has been sweltering over the past few days. The heat has been relentless, the humidity unforgiving. Much like the weather, the race for the two semi-final spots from Group A of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 has reached boiling point. Ironically, the forecast predicts cooler conditions from Sunday. By the end of the day, Group A, too, will have cooled off, with the identities of its two semi-finalists finally confirmed. From the moment the tournament draw was announced, Group A looked like the competition’s toughest pool. Australia, India and South Africa entered as genuine title contenders, leaving little room for error. Every result was expected to have a ripple effect, and that is exactly how the group has unfolded. Australia have been the benchmark throughout. Four wins from four matches have taken them to eight points, while their staggering Net Run Rate of +4.724 means they are virtually assured of ...

  Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Image :X Boria Majumdar, London There was serious speculation if Vaibhav Sooryavanshi would be given a senior international debut against Ireland in Belfast on Friday. He wasn’t and will now wait for the second game on Sunday. Let me state this clearly — it was a very logical and fair call. You need to earn your stripes for the national team and the two incumbent openers have done so. Vaibhav will indeed, but he will need to wait a few days more. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson were India’s chosen openers at the T20 World Cup earlier this year. India won the tournament in style and Abhishek signed off with an electric half-century in the final. Sanju, on the other hand, returned with the Player of the Tournament award. How do you drop either of them was always going to be the question? While there was much hype over Vaibhav and justifiably so, with all that he has done, it is equally true that dropping either of the two openers would have been unfair. ...