We’ll be vulnerable against India

Australian women’s team head coach Matthew Mott has said his side could be “vulnerable” against India when they tour the country for a one-off D/N Test and six white-ball matches.

Indian women are scheduled to begin their tour of Australia with the first of the three ODIs on September 19. The ODI series will be followed by the pink-ball Test (September 30-October 3) and a three-match T20I series.

Mott, who signed a two-year extension on Friday that will see him remain with the side until after the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa, said, “(India) are an emerging supergiant in the game, they have a lot of great players and they will be tough opposition.

“They are playing over in England at the moment and, if anything, we’ll be a bit vulnerable because we won’t have had a lot of cricket. So that’s at the forefront of our mind,” Mott told ESPNcricinfo.

India are currently touring England, having drawn the one-off Test and are in the middle of a limited-overs series.

Mott hoped that the Covid-19 situation would improve, which would allow his squad to gather in Brisbane in August to prepare for the series.

“It would be great to get everyone back together face to face, have a really strong camp in Brisbane at the NCC (National Cricket Centre) with fantastic new facilities out there. And just for some of the southern states to train outside in good weather. So fingers crossed the borders open up and we’re free of Covid as much as we can be and we navigate around.

“It’s something at the forefront of our mind, managing the player fatigue. Talking to the players individually about where they are at, everyone’s at a different stage of their life and career so it’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all policy,” he added.