Healy, Renuka Return as India and Australia Face Off in First-Ever International at New Chandigarh Stadium

Healy, Renuka Return as India and Australia Face Off in First-Ever International at New Chandigarh Stadium

The much-anticipated ODI series between India and Australia Women kicks off in historic fashion on Sunday, with the newly built New Chandigarh stadium set to host its first-ever international match. Adding to the excitement are the comebacks of key players — Alyssa Healy returns to lead Australia after a string of injuries, while Renuka Singh is back in India’s pace attack after recovering from injury.

This series serves as a crucial dress rehearsal for the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup, giving both teams an opportunity to fine-tune combinations and adapt to subcontinental conditions.

 The Bigger Picture: World Cup Tune-Up

Both sides are using this high-profile series as preparation for the upcoming ODI World Cup, set to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

  • India, having won nine of their 11 ODIs this year — including a landmark series win in England — enter the series with momentum.

  • However, they have a dismal recent record against Australia, losing 12 of the last 13 ODIs since Harmanpreet Kaur’s famous 171* in the 2017 World Cup semi-final.

  • Australia, despite not playing any ODIs since January 2025, remain one of the most formidable sides in world cricket. Since the 2022 ODI World Cup, they've won 25 of 28 matches.


 Team News

 India

  • Renuka Singh returns to spearhead the pace attack alongside Kranti Goud.

  • Spin will be India’s strength, with Sneh Rana, N Sree Charani, and Deepti Sharma expected to feature prominently.

  • Captain Harmanpreet Kaur will lead a balanced unit that has shown signs of maturity and consistency over the past year.

India (Probable XI):
Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, N Sree Charani, Kranti Goud, Renuka Singh

 Australia

  • Alyssa Healy returns to captain the side after a year riddled with injuries (including a stress fracture and plantar fascia rupture).

  • Despite being named in the squad, Sophie Molineux won’t play the opener, as she is not yet ready for the ODI format.

  • Australia will likely stick with their experienced core that dominated the Ashes earlier this year.

Australia (Probable XI):
Alyssa Healy (capt, wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Georgia Wareham, Alana King, Kim Garth, Megan Schutt

 Pitch & Conditions

This match marks the first international fixture at the New Chandigarh Stadium, which has hosted 11 IPL games in the last two years. While the pitch remains an unknown, spin is expected to play a significant role, especially in the middle overs. Cloudy conditions with a chance of afternoon showers could make things interesting.

 Stats & Trivia

  • India have not beaten Australia in an ODI at home since February 2007 — losing the last 10 meetings.

  • Harmanpreet Kaur is set to become only the third Indian woman to play 150 ODIs.

  • Megan Schutt will become the ninth Australian to reach the 100-ODI milestone.

  • Smriti Mandhana has been in red-hot form, scoring 1346 runs in 23 innings since June 2024 — more than any other batter in this period.

 In the Spotlight

  • Alyssa Healy: The Aussie skipper has bounced back impressively from injury, scoring 91 and 137* in the Australia A series against India A. She’ll be hoping to stay fit ahead of her first World Cup as captain.

  • Sneh Rana: The Indian off-spinner has made a strong return to international cricket. After a brilliant WPL and 15 wickets in five games during the Colombo tri-series, she’s a key weapon in India’s spin arsenal.

 Quotes

"No doubt, they [Australia] have been very dominating… But we are also at a stage where, as a captain, we have the belief we can beat them on any day."
— Harmanpreet Kaur, India captain

"This is the most stable Indian team I've seen… The rivalry continues to grow. I think it's going to be a really enjoyable, hard-fought series."
— Alyssa Healy, Australia captain

 Series at a Glance

  • Match 1: 14 September 2025, New Chandigarh Stadium

  • Followed by two more ODIs ahead of the ODI World Cup

With a historic venue, big-name comebacks, and World Cup stakes, this India vs Australia series is more than just a bilateral contest — it’s the beginning of the final sprint to cricket’s biggest stage.