The 25-year-old right-hand top-order batswoman was wary of what the Indian team is capable of in this unpredictable format despite her players having more T20 experience, courtesy WBBL.
Australian Women may have walloped India 3-0 in the recent ODIs but they have not forgotten the 2-1 series win in their own backyard at the start of 2016 nor the defeat in last year's Women's World Cup semifinal.
"We've definitely got some confidence in our group from the way we've played," Australia captain Meg Lanning said here on Wednesday, the eve of the T20 tri-series. "But we do understand that it's a different format and it's always very close in T20 Internationals. India are a very good team in this format, and so are England. So we know that we've got to play really well to make sure you get the results you want."
The 25-year-old right-hand top-order batswoman was wary of what the Indian team is capable of in this unpredictable format despite her players having more T20 experience, courtesy WBBL.
"Not sure about that," Lanning said when asked if her team had the edge over India. "There have been a couple of Indian players over there in the WBBL and they are very dangerous. Even throughout the ODI series, they were putting us under the pump. So it's a very even series. Very difficult to say that one team is ahead of the other two, which is great, which means it's going to be some entertaining cricket. By the looks of the wicket and the outfield out there, there are going to be plenty of runs out there."
Considering that India defeated Australia in the World Cup and have tasted success before, Lanning may have been surprised with the way Mithali Raj's team played in the ODIs last week.
"They are always going to be a difficult challenge for us. We didn't have it all our own way in the ODI series. India definitely challenged us at different periods. We were able to push through that and come through, which is something that we can become better at. We were expecting some explosive performances from India in these ODIs. T20 cricket brings everyone closer. One person can come out and change the game really quickly. We need to be on our toes all the time," said Lanning.
She was impressed with India's teenagers, Jemimah Rodrigues and Pooja Vastrakar, who debuted for the country in South Africa last month.
"They came out in the ODI series. Rodrigues whacked us around a little bit and made us nervous. Pooja is a very good bowler and has scored a lot of runs as well. It's exciting for the game to see young players coming through. They are someone to keep an eye on. Hopefully, we can find some new players and see what they can do at the big stage," she said.
The Southern Stars skipper said that this tri-series is a "massive" one for them in the lead up to this year end's Women's World T20. "We know we don't have a lot of cricket between now and the World T20. So we're really keen to make sure we play well in this series. And as a bunch, we are going to be tested. So it's really great."
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 "Meg Lanning")
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