India have built an intense rivalry with Australia women and this will be a great opportunity to test their recent improvements against the world’s best team and reigning World Cup champions.

Skipper Allyssa Healy is not taking India lightly in the series.

“For a long time, they have been a bit of a sleeping giant. But this is the most stable Indian team I have seen. They are aware of how dangerous they can be, and we have watched them challenge England recently. It is a rivalry that keeps growing, and they love beating Australia, especially at home. That’s the challenge we are excited for,” she said.

Healy, 35, has struggled with foot and knee injuries over the last one year. She last played cricket against India A at home, scoring a century in a game. Australia left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux is not expected to play in this series as she completes rehabilitation after knee surgery, but is expected to be ready for the World Cup. Still, Australia’s bowling looks far more balanced and experienced than India.

The first ODI will be special for India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, 36, as the Punjab batter will play in her 150th ODI at the new Punjab Cricket Association Stadium. “I last played in Mohali in 2016, during the T20 World Cup. This is the first time I got to practice in New Chandigarh. I am excited to be playing in front of a home crowd. Hopefully we should put up a great show.”

India last played Australia in December, losing 3-0. Thereafter, India beat Ireland, West Indies at home, won a tri-series in Sri Lanka and them beat England on their turf.

All eyes will be on medium-pacer Renuka Thakur, who makes an India comeback after a long lay-off. “The series is important for the team. It is good that we’ve got one of the best teams to play against ahead of the World Cup. We want to give a chance to everyone and give 100 percent with an aim to win. With Renuka back, it will be of great support to (pacers) Kranti and Arundhati,” said Kaur.

“Australia have been dominating for a long time. We have been training really hard in the last one-and-a-half years. I believe we are now in that race. We’ve got the belief that we can beat Australia any day. Earlier, we were just playing them. Winning on the England tour was a testament to our progress.”

India will bank on spinners Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Shree Charani and Radha Yadav to find success in the series. The pitch at the New Chandigarh stadium is good for batting and Indian batters will fancy scoring big runs. Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet and Richa Ghosh are the best bets against Australia’s bowlers.