Women's T20 tri-sries: Australia not clear favourites, says Lanning

Australia skipper Meg Lanning

The Indian women's team have their backs to the wall as they enter the T20 tri-series as underdogs when compared to Australia and England. India have played 23 T20Is against Australia and England and have just managed to win just five.

Against England, India have registered just two wins out of 11 matches with the last victory being at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground in 2010. India have won just thrice against the Australians in 12 matches. Their biggest takeaway is the 2-1 bilateral series win in Australia in 2016.

Experience-wise too, India lack T20 exposure as compared to the Aussies and the English, who have many players featuring in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL).

All are equally competitive
However, Australia skipper Meg Lanning felt all three teams are equally competitive. "There have been a couple of Indian players in the WBBL and they are very dangerous. Even in the ODI series, the Indian girls were putting us under the pump. So, it's a very even series. It's very difficult to say that one team is ahead of the others, which is great, which means there is going to be some entertaining cricket," Lanning said yesterday.

Crucial series for Oz
Considering Australia won't be playing too many T20Is after this one and before the World T20 tourney, Lanning is looking to make the most of the opportunity. "It's a big series for us, coming up against two massive teams. We know we don't have a lot of cricket between now and the World T20, so we're really keen to play well in this series. As a bunch, we are going to be tested, which is great," she said.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates