T20 World Cup: Australia's Alyssa Healy wary of tricky group featuring India

Australia captain Alyssa Healy is wary of the tricky group that they have been put in, in the Women's T20 World Cup. Australia will face India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in Group A.

In Short

• Women's T20 World Cup 2024 starts on October 3
• Australia have been grouped with India
• Healy talks about the tricky group stage in the tournament

Australia captain Alyssa Healy is wary of the tricky group her team has been placed in, in the Women's T20 World Cup 2024. Australia have been grouped with India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in Group A.

The defending champions will have to play Harmanpreet Kaur's India, who are being dubbed as one of the favourites for this edition of the tournament, Sri Lanka, who recently beat India in in the women's Asia Cup among others.

Speaking about the tournament, Healy said that her team had come to win the title and not defend it, making it clear that Australia were coming in with a clean slate after the retirement of legendary Meg Lanning, who left cricket at the age of 31.

"You don't come here to defend the title, that's not what the World Cup is about, you come here to win it," she said. "So we are here with that approach. Our pool [Group A with India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka] is quite a tricky one. We've got to get past these teams to have a chance of lifting the trophy. So it's a challenge I'm very excited for," Healy told ESPNcricinfo in an interview.

Not a lot of women's cricket has been played in the UAE. Healy believes that whichever team adapts the best in the tournament has a chance of lifting the trophy.

"The whole tournament, in general, is about adapting the quickest," Healy said. "That seems to be the way. If you look at the warm-up games, [it showed] you've got to adapt pretty quickly to what you're given. Probably the team that does the best throughout the tournament will get the job done. We feel like we're well placed to do that and hopefully, we can do it," Healy said.

Australia are the most successful team in the tournament's history, having won four of the five titles. They did not win the tournament only in 2016, where they finished runner-ups behind West Indies. Healy said that Australia had a target on their back, but that was something that inspired the players to do better.

"It feels like, without being disrespectful, we have been hunted for a long period of time," she said. "We're constantly being asked about that, and we're used to it now. Teams are coming really hard at us to put us under the pump which we love.

"This World Cup is going to be no different. We know what the other nine are going to throw at us given the opportunity. We see it as a challenge and an opportunity to showcase a brand of cricket we like playing," concluded Healy.