Navi Mumbai, Oct 29 (IANS) Former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop believes India must draw inspiration from their iconic 1983 Men’s ODI World Cup triumph to overcome Australia’s aura of invincibility in their high-stakes 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup semi-final against the reigning champions at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday.

The winner of Thursday’s blockbuster semi-final clash will meet either England or South Africa in the final in Navi Mumbai on November 2. Australia, the only unbeaten team in the competition, are aiming to win an unprecedented eighth ODI World Cup title, while India aim to stop their juggernaut and enter the title clash on home soil.

Luckily for India, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side have hit their peak at the right time, as seen from them securing their spot in the semi-finals with a big win over New Zealand at DY Patil Stadium, especially after losing to South Africa, Australia and England in the league stage.

“I want to take everyone here back to when we talk about an aura of invincibility, right? I don’t often talk about this because I was a young kid and I was sick for days after this match. Remember, was it that 1983 World Cup men’s edition when India beat the West Indies at Lord’s?

“West Indies came in as overwhelming favourites and they were overturned by India that ushered in a whole new generation and a way of viewing and playing the game. That is something – that is a spirit that all teams and much more so India, have to draw upon in the semifinal.

“Again, I’m not diminishing anything that Australia can do because they are the team to beat. So that’s why we’re not talking too much about them because they come into this as favorites. But it’s a chance for India to make their own history,” said Bishop to IANS in a virtual media day on the eve of the India-Australia semi-final.

He also highlighted how the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and growth of franchise women’s T20 leagues has helped the Indian team players in seeing the Australian cricketers as equals rather than untouchable champions.

“Whether the WPL has humanised this, of course, franchise cricket does that. If Alyssa Healy is playing with any one of those Indian players in the WPL, so as Beth Mooney, Alana King, they will see the human side of those players and they will realise that they are not machines in the same way that if you’ve played with Ricky Ponting, for example, or if you played back in the day at Somerset with Sir Vivian Richards.

“You realise they are human, they have off days, great days, you see their preparation and you realise that you can make that preparation. So WPL, and I don’t think we’ve seen the full effect of it yet, where it will take India’s cricket in the next five years, where it will take the fielding, power hitting, and where it needs to take the discovery of some frontline seam bowling options for India, because India need that,” he said.

Addressing Australia’s renowned ability to fight back with the bat from precarious positions in the competition, Bishop further issued a clear tactical directive for Harmanpreet & Co. look for aggression over caution and not be defensive in field placements.

“I think you’ve got to be aggressive. The one thing that, and the women’s game is growing all the time exponentially, I really enjoy what I’m seeing. But the one additional step I’d like to see, and this is across the game, right?” Bishop said, making a broader point about modern cricket strategy.

“So I’m making a point across the game in general, the landscape, not just specific to the women’s game, but across the men’s juniors and seniors as well, that I want to see teams like India be more aggressive. If wickets have fallen, don’t sit back and wait for the next wicket to fall by pushing your fielders deep and allowing easy singles.

“Be aggressive in your field sets to complement your bowling, because we’ve seen that once or twice in this tournament, that if you allow, even with a collapse, any of those Australian batters – we saw that with Gardner, Phoebe Litchfield, and Beth Mooney, that they are capable of going on to get hundreds and managing batting with their lower order, which is very strong to still get competitive scores. So you have to be willing and risk losing the game in order to win it by being aggressive in your field sets and in your captaincy and your bowling,” he explained.

On a wider note, Bishop signed off by emphasising the need for India to develop quality pace bowling options through their academy and franchise systems. “They need to discover some frontline seaming options. Spinners will always come through. So I know it’s a broad way of answering your question, and I’ve hit on a point that I wanted to put out there, that the academies, franchises, and states where the women’s game is played in this country need to advance their seam bowling options.

“But they’re feeding off what these excellent players from around the world are bringing, whether it’s Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, and what they are bringing to the WPL to help to win for a franchise, but also to help and advance India’s cause in the world game,” he concluded.

Catch Australia vs India in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup India 2025 on Thursday, at 3:00 PM, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network.

–IANS

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