The Women’s ODI World Cup coming to town has amplified the pulsating Navratri festive fervour in Indore as it prepares to host Australia and New Zealand at the Holkar Stadium on Wednesday.

The Women in Yellow arrived in India’s cleanest city with an unblemished record in their past 15 ODIs against the White Ferns. In fact, Australia’s last loss against New Zealand in the format came on February 26, 2017.

The seven-time champion, however, has shown signs of weakness of late.

Alyssa Healy & Co. had two batting collapses in their recent defeats against India (dismissed for 190 in 40.5 overs in the second ODI) and England (bowled out for 247 in 34.4 overs in the warm-up game).

The famed Aussie bowling attack, too, looked out of sorts for a while in the third ODI against the Women in Blue, conceding 369 while defending 412.

For New Zealand, the T20 World Cup title-holder, the path to victory hinges on exposing these chinks in Australia’s armour. However, the Aussie women are known for raising their game under pressure, a trait that makes them the favourites in this Trans-Tasman clash.

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Sophie Devine & Co.’s lack of quality match practice has not helped their cause one bit. The Kiwis, who last played an ODI more than six months ago, also lost to India-A and India in their warm-up fixtures.

The composition of the spinners in either squad warrants some discussion. Left-arm tweaker Sophie Molineux’s return to fitness, with leg-spinners Alana King and Georgia Wareham in the fray, has given the reigning champion a happy headache. New Zealand’s 22-year-old left-armer Flora Devonshire’s potential ODI debut is something to look forward to.

Everything considered, both white-ball champions will look at their ODI World Cup opener as a perfect chance to beat an imperfect opponent.

Published on Sep 30, 2025