Australia won the toss and chose to bat first against India in the second semifinal of the Women’s Cricket World Cup on Thursday at the DY Patil Stadium.

Captain Alyssa Healy returned from a calf injury that had sidelined her for the last two games. The defending champions are eyeing a record-extending eighth Cricket World Cup final.

For India, attacking opener Shafali Verma came back into the side after Pratika Rawal was ruled out with an ankle injury sustained while fielding against Bangladesh in the final league match at the same venue. Verma, who has played 29 One-Day Internationals, has scored 774 runs at an average of 23.00 and a strike rate of 83.20. She was not part of India’s original squad or the tournament reserves and has been drafted straight into the playing XI.

India made two other changes: wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh returned after being rested for the previous game, while medium-pacer Kranti Goud replaced Harleen Deol.

For Australia, Healy came in for Georgia Voll, while left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux replaced wrist spinner Georgia Wareham. Healy had missed the matches against England and South Africa after scoring back-to-back hundreds against India and Bangladesh.

Australia had earlier beaten India by three wickets in a high-scoring league-stage game at Visakhapatnam. The team holds an 11–3 World Cup record against India and is on a 16-match unbeaten run in the tournament dating back to 2022.

The pitch is expected to favor batters, with some assistance for spinners as the game progresses. There is a chance of rain, but a reserve day has been allocated.

Playing XIs

India: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Amanjot Kaur, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, Radha Yadav, Kranti Goud, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur.

Australia: Phoebe Litchfield, Alyssa Healy (captain), Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Alana King, Kim Garth, Megan Schutt.