India will aim to reach the Women’s World Cup final for the first time in eight years when they take on the defending champions, Australia, at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai on Thursday. Incidentally, it was the Aussies whom India had overcome in 2017 to reach the final after a Harmanpreet Kaur classic at the County Ground in Derby. Overall, India have reached the final just one other time, in 2005, where they had lost to Australia at SuperSport Park in Centurion.
Australia were the first side to qualify for the semifinals in the 2025 edition of the ICC tournament after ending their league stage on an unbeaten note, winning six of their seven matches, while one other match ended in a No Result. The host nation, on the other hand, secured the final spot in the semifinals after winning three of their seven games, finishing with seven points, which included a loss against the Alyssa Healy-led side.
While India will be keen to avenge their loss in the league stage earlier this month, rain could play spoilsport, potentially forcing a washout and leaving the outcome to tournament rules.
Navi Mumbai weather report today
Rain has played spoilsport throughout the tournament in October, affecting 10 matches during the league stage, with six ending in a No Result. While India and Australia will be hoping for some mercy from the weather gods, Navi Mumbai has experienced heavy rainfall all week.
AccuWeather issued a yellow alert for the morning, though conditions are expected to improve in the afternoon, with a 25% chance of rain and “sun through high clouds.” By evening, the chance of rain drops to 15%, with partly cloudy skies.
What happens if semifinal is washed out?
Unlike the league-stage matches, the ICC has scheduled a reserve day in case persistent rain washes out Thursday’s semifinal. If needed, the game will be played on Friday, October 31.
However, AccuWeather’s forecast for Friday predicts “broken intervals with scattered showers,” with an 84% chance of rain.
If the reserve day too gets washed out, Australia will progress to the final by virtue of finishing higher in the points table. They will hence set up a date with South Africa, who beat England to reach the final on Wednesday.
