3 player battles to watch out for in the 3rd IND vs AUS T20I

The five-match T20I series between the India Women and Australia Women is intriguingly poised at 1-1. With the visitors claiming the first contest by nine wickets, the hosts stormed back to snare a thrilling Super Over victory in the second T20I at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai.

The action now shifts to the iconic Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai for the remainder of the series. The finalists of the Women's T20 World Cup 2020 will lock horns in the third T20I on Wednesday, December 14, as they seek to up their preparations for the next marquee event in South Africa in February 2023.

As is the case with most T20 contests, this one too has a lot riding on it in terms of matchups and subplots. With a number of Australian players yet to be tested and India needing some of their own to come to the party, this could take a decisive turn in the third T20I.

On that note, let's look at three player battles that could define which way Wednesday's contest heads.

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#1 Smriti Mandhana vs Megan Schutt

India's superstar opening batter against Australia's lethal new-ball weapon. In many ways, this could just define which of the two sides could take the early initiative and dictate terms thereafter.

This has got to do with Smriti Mandhana's pristine form with the bat, which extended to her bagging the Player of the Match honors for her 49-ball 79 in the second T20I. She has fallen to Annabel Sutherland in both games in the series but one would think that for Australia to stop the juggernaut early, it would come down to Megan Schutt to do what she does best.

Her natural angle tends to take the ball away from the left-hander. Packing the off-side field with a couple of slips could perhaps be the way to go for Australia, as they seek to stop India's vice-captain from making another big impact.

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#2 Deepti Sharma vs Beth Mooney

Beth Mooney's consistency knows no bounds. The Australian opener tends to take that to new levels altogether every time she comes up against India and it has been no different this time around either.

For context, the southpaw has tallied scores of 89 and 82 so far in this series and is yet to be dismissed. The hosts have looked simply clueless against her and her partner-in-crime Tahlia McGrath and getting past them will be pivotal to their cause.

Deepti Sharma could well be the answer to that end. Not only is she proficient in the powerplay, but her canny off-spinners from either side of the wicket could test both edges of Mooney's blade, which she wields like a magic wand.

India will hope that their go-to player can do their bidding against the seemingly unstoppable Mooney come Wednesday.

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#3 Jemimah Rodrigues vs Alana King

After a stellar showing at the Commonwealth Games and the Asia Cup, Jemimah Rodrigues hasn't set the stage alight yet in the series against Australia. In front of her home crowd in Mumbai, she will look to lay down a marker of her own in the all-important third T20I.

In the form of Alana King, a stiff challenge lies in front of her. The leg-spinner is as crafty an operator as they come and has assumed an even more important role for the Aussies, with Jess Jonassen ruled out owing to injury.

Rodrigues has an extremely proficient game against spin and should enjoy facing it on what is expected to be a good batting track at the Brabourne Stadium. King's shrewd approach with the ball won't make it any easier though, turning this into one tantalizing matchup.

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Which way do you think the third India-Australia T20I will head? Let us know in the comments section below!

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