With the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup set to start on September 30, Lisa Sthalekar, a four-time World Cup-winner for Australia, sat down with IANS for an interview about the marquee event. 

When asked how the Indian team are shaping up leading to the tournament, Sthalekar said, “I’d agree with Alyssa [Healy] in saying they’ve got the home crowd, which can give you a huge boost, but can also add even more expectations on you. It’ll be important for India to get out of the blocks quickly in this tournament, as we saw Smriti Mandhana already perform well against Australia. She seems destined to have a strong and big World Cup. If she does that, she’ll carry a few other players with her, and all of a sudden, they’re posting formidable totals or chasing down some lofty scores.”