ICC Women's T20I WC final showdown: Australia confident, but India ahead

As both teams gear up for the final, reactions are pouring in from around the cricketing world and a war of words between players has escalated

The much-anticipated showdown of ICC Women's T20I World Cup final between India and Australia will take place in Melbourne on March 8. This will be the fifth clash between India Women and Australia Women in T20Is in 2020. India will go into the final with better confidence than Australia after having stunned the defending champions by 17 runs in the tournament opener.

As both teams gear up for the final, reactions have begun pouring in from around the cricketing world and a war of words between players has escalated. 

Batting great Sachin Tendulkar has advised the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women's team to remain positive and "just be in the moment".

Australian pacer Megan Schutt has made a clear appeal to skipper Meg Lanning that she doesn't want to bowl to Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana.

Schutt bore the brunt of Verma and Mandhana's attacking cricket in the very first over during last month's tri-series, dispatched for a four by the teenager on the very first ball and hit for a six by Mandhana. Schutt admits she quakes at the sight of India's top-order big guns, who flayed her for 16 runs in her opening over of the tournament.

"I just hate playing India — they've got the wood on me," she said.

Australian skipper Meg Lanning was upbeat about the team's performance on the big day. She said, the side is geared up for a fight and will go out to win the tournament.

"We never came into this World Cup thinking it would just happen and it was going to be easy. We knew it was in for a fight and that's exactly what happened. We weren't owed anything. We're not here to defend it, we're here to win it," ICC quoted Lanning as saying.

Australia has won the Women's T20 World Cup four times, and the side would be looking to win their fifth title. Star all-rounder Ellyse Perry has been ruled out of the tournament, but it has not hampered the side's momentum.

Kim Cotton and Ahsan Raza will stand as on-field umpires in the summit clash of the ongoing Women's T20 World Cup, which sees four-time champions Australia take on first-time finalists India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Supporting the on-field umpires will be West Indies' Gregory Brathwaite, who is TV umpire for what is set to be an historic occasion in Melbourne.

India entered the final after their semi-final clash against England was washed out in Sydney. India had topped the group while, Australia managed to defeat South Africa in the semi-finals.