After losing their last encounter against England, India's women's team is scheduled to face Australia, who are unbeaten in the ongoing World Cup in New Zealand.
India's star opener Smriti Mandhana remembered her side's good performance in their last tour of Australia and aimed to emulate the same show in the upcoming World Cup match.
The Blue Brigade gave a tough fight to Australia during the 2021 tour and came close to winning the ODI series, which the hosts clinched by 2-1. Also, India knocked Australia out of the 2017 Women's World Cup by winning the all-important semi-final clash.
"Everyone knows what happened in 2017. But, more than that, we discussed our last tour of Australia. We have done well against them and we almost won the series. That's the brand of cricket we want to play and that has been our motivation," Mandhana commented in a virtual press conference.
The upcoming game against Australia is a virtual knockout for India. They have already lost two games in the tournament and cannot afford another defeat in their journey to the semis.
"The girls are really motivated and everyone is pumped to go and get 2 points on board, knowing the situation of the tournament and how important this match is. The team psychologist has also helped in this regard," she added.
Further, Mandhana provided an update on Harmanpreet Kaur's fitness and informed that she is fit to play tomorrow. "She is fit and available for tomorrow's game," the flamboyant left-hander mentioned.
The southpaw again took back to the 2021 Australia tour and discussed how closely the ODI series was fought.
"Definitely we couldn't win the series. The second match also we almost won against them, so it would have been like a series win," Mandhana continued.
The Sangli-born reflected on Jhulan Goswami's 200th ODI match and emphasised the value of the occasion.
"It is a proud moment for all of us to be there for Jhulan di's 200th match. She has been motivating us and also all the girls back home," she concluded.