‘India can beat Australia’ – Chopra

India had a "50-50" chance to beat champions Australia in the Women's World Cup semi-finals last week. The former Indian captain Anjum Chopra argued that it is not just a "hope" of positive results. Chopra closely follows the fate of the Mithali Raj team as a commentator, but acknowledges that Australia's superior experience and family tree will be the cause of the conflict.

Australia previously won six of the ten World Cup tournaments and has an overwhelming 34-8 loss record for India in ODI. Since the last World Cup in 2013, India has only won one of four ODIs against Australia. At the group level in this edition, Australia played six of the seven games and India five.

"Yes, I think India can beat Australia," Chopra told ESPNcricinfo in London. "When I say, I'm not just hoping for India to go to the finals. The reason I said is that there's always one every time you go to the quarter finals or semi-finals. Match that you have to play.

"Surely they can win. Yes. They have often been the world champions and have seen the Australian team more time than the Indian team in this situation. So, confidence is there." Conquer this stage and this stage Is not going to be seen in the Indian lineup. "

One of India's main concerns for the game is the sharp decline in the form of the opener Smriti Mandhana. Manda, who turned 21 on Tuesday, started the tournament with 90 and 106 points, winning both England and the West Indies, but was fired with 2, 8, 4, 3 and 13. Although it is an option to promote the 19-year-old Deepti Sharma, a professional opener who played in the middle order, Chopra believes that such a move can only be considered if he tested Deepti at the group stage.

"Despite the Australian lineup that would have topped off with left-handed attacking Smriti, I don't think the Indian team will be seeing that change," she said. "As a player, we saw ourselves losing form. In the last four days, the Indian team would have had time to rest or hit the net if necessary. I think four days is enough. Is to have a strong partnership, just as they did against the UK.

While Mandhana's form has shrunk, her opening partner, Punam Raut, has consistently solidified the best orders. Indeed, Raut took second place after Indian captain Mithali Raj captain in the tournament and scored a back against Australia in the league stage. India will be inspired by the contributions of Harmanpreet Kaur and Veda Krishnamurthy, who struck for half a century in the final stage of the league phase, which must be met in New Zealand's confrontation.

"In this level it's a mental game," Chopra said. "It's not about realizing that you're playing in India, but it's about you making your presence feel that you're an Indian player the world is actually seeing and following you. Of course Veda has a good chance on the ground. Players need to give them enough time to be in a position to play in an aggressive manner. They have timed out in the middle and fought against New Zealand. ”

Australia is full of skilled players, but the biggest threat to India comes from the captains. Meg Lanning. Lanning missed two games due to shoulder problems but is still the top scorer of the tournament. In fact, she created a calm and undefeated 76, leading the team to a comfortable victory in meeting with India. While Lanning is a big thorn in India's flesh, Chopra has to be broken and wary of the threats of other players as well.

"She is a global hitter and there's no doubt about her ability to lead the team," Chopra said. "She was an Australian multi-purpose run getter for someone who wanted to pay as a spectator. She is so fond of that she gives a lesson on hitting, either forefoot or hind paws, fast bowling or spin. I think it's a very important element, Ellyse Perry, who is batting third or fourth in Australia, remembering that she has a relationship with Lanning or other hitters. "

Indian bowling tactics for this make or break match will also be watched carefully. Indian spin bowlers have taken 36 turnstiles in tournaments so far, but Shimmer has won 13. Can India launch an attack, especially with the opening pairs of Australia's Nicole Bolton and Beth Mooney, given the realm of power? Are both left-handed?

Chopra says that the strategy adopted by India, not sold to this idea, will depend heavily on the relationship with the bat if they win the throw and make their first blow.

"These tactics would be possible if the Indian team could defend after having scored well over 250-260 on the board," she said. "I'm not a big fan of bowling for the second time with spinners in English, regardless of the ticket gate. I still feel that the first few overovers should be bowled quickly under these conditions. In women's cricket, only one ball is in the inning The gloss of the ball can only be used at the initial overlap because it is used over. "

Once India passes Australia, they will advance to the World Cup final. Chopra Lost in Australia in 98 runs from Centurion. After spending a lifetime in the game, including 17 years of international career, she professes to be pleasantly surprised at the scale of interest, currently fascinated by the positive mood for female cricket.

"It's nice to see the reaction back home," she said. "I have to confess that I never expected. I knew it would be a very big range before the World Cup began or before it was built, but what the reaction looked like, it seems phenomenal. The reason is that the Indian team wins And men aren't currently playing the series! Even male cricketers are supported in tweet form and it's amazing to say a word of encouragement to the players.