Pacers give India Women confidence as they target T20 series triumph over Australia

India Women aim for T20 series victory over Australia, building confidence from a strong bowling performance in the opener.

Aiming to establish an unassailable lead over Australia, Harmanpreet Kaur's India would draw confidence from a strong bowling performance in the rain-hit opening win when the two sides square off in the second and penultimate T20 International in Canberra on Thursday (February 19, 2026).

It was a commanding display from seamer Arundhati Reddy, whose four-wicket haul rattled the hosts and spearheaded a superb bowling effort as Australia were unable to bat out their 20 overs and were bundled out for a below-par 133.

The bowlers enjoyed a solid workout as the long series, also featuring three ODIs and a one off Test, unfolded.

On the batting front, only openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma managed meaningful time in the middle as rain played spoilsport and the match was decided by the Duckworth-Lewis System, leaving the rest of the batting unit potentially a touch under-prepared.

But given India's formidable batting line-up and the fact that most of the players featured in the recently-concluded Women's Premier League, there is little concern about a failure as they carry ample game time into the contest despite the rain-affected opener in Sydney.

India will once again bank on a blazing start from Shafali, the standout performer in last year's World Cup final against South Africa, and Mandhana's charismatic batting, followed by Jemimah Rodrigues.