Richa Ghosh: The past does not matter now, we can beat Aussies

Richa Ghosh feels India need to be mentally strong in the semis"We can beat Australia." This was a statement which India's wicketkeeper-bat Richa Ghosh reiterated on at least three occasions during the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.India will have to go into the T20 World Cup semifinal with belief in their ability and execute their plans to perfection. Australia would have been on a 22-match T20 winning streak, if not for the high-intensity tied game against India last year. Barring that blemish, they haven't lost a match since March 2021.That the defending champions are favourites is stating the obvious, but given their success rate against India, they also hold a psychological advantage.

Meg Lanning, skipper of the all-conquering Australian side, believes both teams will start at the same level. "What's happened in the past doesn't make a difference. We need to play our best cricket and India will look to do the same. It's about putting out your best performance on the day."On the other hand, Richa said, India'smindset was work in progress. "We are improving our mindset. The one who is mentally strong in the game will win."

1/9Women's T20 World Cup: India have task cut out against AustraliaShow Captions<p>Having put up a patchy performance in the Women's T20 World Cup thus far, India will have to lift their game drastically against nemesis Australia in the first semifinal on Thursday.<br /><br /></p><p>India, who have been among the top teams over the last five years but unable to win a major trophy, have expectedly made the semifinals of another ICC event.<br /><br /></p><p>Defending champions Australia have won nine of the pair's last 10 meetings with the other game ending in a tie.<br /><br