India batter Jemimah Rodrigues has called on her teammates to embrace an attacking mindset ahead of their high-stakes ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 encounter against Australia at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground on Sunday. With a place in the semifinals hanging in the balance, Rodrigues believes India must challenge the defending powerhouse on their own terms rather than allowing them to dictate the contest.
Harmanpreet Kaur‘s side enters the fixture with momentum after registering three victories in four matches. However, a win against the six-time champions is essential if India are to secure a place in the knockout stage of the tournament.
Jemimah Rodrigues opens up regarding India’s game plan against Australia
Australia have traditionally dominated this rivalry in the shortest format. Since the teams first met in 2008, India have managed just 10 victories in 38 completed Women’s T20 Internationals. India’s last Women’s T20 World Cup win over Australia came in Sydney in 2020, when Poonam Yadav‘s memorable four-wicket spell inspired a famous 17-run triumph. Despite the historical record, Rodrigues believes the current Indian squad has the belief and experience needed to challenge Australia. Speaking on JioStar’s Champions Huddle, the stylish batter explained that a defensive approach would only play into Australia’s strengths.
“The thing about Australia is that they never let you settle. They are always attacking, always putting pressure. If you want to do well against them, you can’t be defensive. You must dominate and take the game to them and our team enjoys that challenge. We know there is no other way. You must match their intensity and stay ahead. That kind of mindset works well for us,” Rodrigues said.
The middle-order batter, who produced a stunning century against Australia in the ODI World Cup semifinal earlier in her career, stressed that confidence and execution would be the deciding factors on Sunday. She believes India possess enough quality and experience within the squad to compete with the tournament favourites.
Experience and confidence key for India
Rodrigues highlighted the experience of several Indian players against Australia, pointing out that familiarity with the opposition should help the team remain composed under pressure.
“Shafali Verma has played a lot against them. Renuka has also bowled well against Australia in the past. Most of our players have good experience against them. We have faced them many times. But on the day, it all comes down to execution. We just need to go out there, back ourselves, and play with that aggressive intent. If we do that, I think everything will fall into place,” Rodrigues added.
India’s confidence has been boosted by their recent five-wicket victory over Bangladesh at Old Trafford in Manchester. The win lifted Harmanpreet’s team to second place in the standings with six points from four matches and an impressive net run rate of +2.268, leaving qualification firmly in their own hands.
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
