India opener Smriti Mandhana on Friday (March 18) said her team is drawing inspiration from the 2021 tour of Australia before their all-important clash against the Southern Stars in the ongoing Women’s World Cup.

After a heavy defeat against England, the Women in Blue are due to take on Australia in a crucial league match at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday (March 19).

During the Australia tour last year, India had lost the ODI series 1-2 but ended Australia's 26-match winning streak. They had also knocked out Australia from the 2017 World Cup by defeating them in the semi-final.

"Everyone knows what happened in 2017. More than that, we discussed our last tour of Australia. We have done well against them and we almost won the series. That's the brand of cricket we want to play and that has been our motivation," Mandhana said at a virtual media interaction.

"The girls are really motivated and everyone is pumped to go and get 2 points on board, knowing the situation of the tournament and how important this match is. The team psychologist has also helped in this regard," she added.

Reflecting more on the 2021 tour of Australia, the India batter said: "Definitely we couldn't win the series. The second match also we almost won against them, so it would have been like a series win."

Sharing update on vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s fitness, Mandhana said "she is fit and available for tomorrow's game."

When asked about veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami's 200th ODI match, Smriti said: "It is a proud moment for all of us to be there for Jhulan di's 200th match. She has been motivating us and also all the girls back home."

India’s performance in the 2022 World Cup has been a mix of brilliance and abysmal so far. While the Mithali Raj-led side registered resounding wins over Pakistan and West Indies, they suffered heavy defeats at the hands of New Zealand and England.

(With PTI inputs)