Sophie Molineux says Australia will 'double down' on India pressure
What's the story
Australia's star cricketer Sophie Molineux has said her side will look to "double down on the pressure" on India in their last group game at the 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup. The Group B match is scheduled for Sunday at Lord's, and it will be a do-or-die encounter for India. They need a win to stay in semi-finals contention. Here's more.
Dominance
Australia's unbeaten run in the tournament
Australia have been on a winning streak in this tournament, having defeated all their opponents so far. The closest anyone came to challenging them was South Africa, who had Australia at 24/2 in the powerplay and 62/4 within eight overs of their opening game. However, Australia bounced back strongly and won by a whopping 65 runs after posting 172/8 and then bowling out the T20 World Cup runners-up for just 107 runs inside 17 overs.
Inconsistency
India's performance in the tournament
India's performance in the tournament has been a mixed bag. They beat Pakistan by 64 runs and Netherlands by a whopping 95 runs, but lost to South Africa by six wickets and overcame Bangladesh by five wickets. The Indian team will be closely watching the outcome of South Africa's match against Bangladesh on Sunday as it could determine their chances of making it to the semi-finals.
Pressure
'We still need to win and make sure we finish'
During a press conference, Molineux acknowledged the pressure on India but also stressed that Australia has its own goals to achieve. She said, "We still need to win and make sure we finish where we want to place. We know that there's a bit of pressure on them, and hopefully we can double down on that and put pressure on them as well quite early in the game."
Team news
Australia's batting has been on fire
Australia's batting lineup has been explosive in this tournament, posting their two highest T20 World Cup totals. They scored 219/6 against Netherlands and 199/7 against Pakistan. Molineux said, "Our batting order is full of explosiveness and players that are naturally really good run-scorers." Meanwhile, Beth Mooney has recovered from a finger injury sustained while keeping wickets against Pakistan.