India look to bounce back against Oz

After their stunning loss to South Africa, India will have to bring out their best game against defending champions Australia in their fourth match of the ICC Women's World Cup on Sunday.

While India got a reality check with their first loss of the tournament, Australia enter the match undefeated. The No. 1 ODI team defeated New Zealand and Pakistan by 89 by 107 runs, respectively, while their match against Sri Lanka was abandoned. India defeated Pakistan and Sri Lanka by 88 and 59 runs, respectively, but went down by three wickets against the Proteas women.

India, though, will have some advantage having played their previous match at the same venue, while it will be Australia's first game in Visakhapatnam.

Both teams are familiar with each other, having recently played a three-match series, which Australia won 2-1, at Mullanpur and Delhi. Overall, the Aussies enjoy an overwhelming 48-11 advantage over India in women's ODIs.

"Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But bouncing back together is important," said Sneh Rana. "We went back, studied the result of the last game and regrouped. It's all about planning and how to improve and take the positives from it. Now, we look forward to the next game," she added.

"They (Australia) are definitely the strongest competitor. But we are also going with a positive mindset. We have played against them in the past and defeated them," she added.

Rana expressed full faith in India's top-order, which is yet to make a major contribution. "I don't think it is a big concern because our batters have tackled everything well in the past. Ups and downs are part and parcel of the game. We have some of the best batters in the world and it is just a matter of time they come back," she said.

Australia skipper Alyssa Healy said the powerplay will be crucial in the game. "The powerplay plays a crucial role in this World Cup. If you can get off to a good start and set a platform, that's going to be really important to putting a good total out there or chasing something down," she said.

"India have figured out a style of play that they want to use, especially in this format. They're really sticking to that, which I think has been really impressive to see. Look at them in their home conditions, they're obviously going to play really well and be a real threat," added the 35-year-old.