India are taking on Australia in their fifth and final Group A match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday (June 28) at Lord’s in London. India have made one change to their playing XI, bringing back fast bowler Kranti Gaud in place of Nandani Sharma.
The 22-year-old Gaud featured in India’s first two matches of the tournament but failed to take a wicket. Nandani, meanwhile, picked up one wicket in India’s previous match against Bangladesh at Old Trafford on Thursday.
#TeamIndia‘s Playing XI that will be taking the field in Lord’s 🙌
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/WlUV2rjwTj#T20WorldCup | #WomenInBlue | #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/H6qCkdIqUC
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) June 28, 2026
Australia have also made one change to their playing XI, with top-order
batter Phoebe Litchfield replacing spinner Alana King. The left-hander will bat at No. 3.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bat first in the must-win encounter. A victory over Australia will secure India a place in the top two of Group A and book their spot in the semifinals of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. A defeat, however, will end their campaign.
Playing XIs
Australia: Beth Mooney (WK), Georgia Voll, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Georgia Wareham, Annabel Sutherland, Nicola Carey, Sophie Molineux (C), Kim Garth, Lucy Hamilton
India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Gaud
Deepti chases history
Star all-rounder Deepti Sharma will be a key player for India in their must-win ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 clash against Australia.
Deepti, regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders in women’s cricket, needs just one wicket to surpass Jhulan Goswami’s tally of 355 international wickets and become the highest wicket-taker in the history of women’s cricket. At present, both Deepti and Jhulan have 355 wickets each.
The 28-year-old equalled Jhulan’s long-standing record during India’s second Group A match against the Netherlands but has gone wicketless in the team’s last two matches.
Deepti, who already holds the record for the most wickets in Women’s T20 Internationals, made a sensational start to the tournament by claiming five wickets in India’s opening Group A match. She finished with remarkable figures of 5/10 from her four overs against Pakistan, helping the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side begin their campaign on a winning note.
