Former West Indies fast bowler and renowned commentator Ian Bishop has thrown his support behind Harmanpreet Kaur’s Indian side ahead of their ICC Women’s ODI World Cup semi-final against Australia. Speaking ahead of the high-stakes clash, Bishop emphasised that while Australia remains the most dominant side in women’s cricket, India must approach the contest with composure and conviction. In a candid conversation with News18 CricketNext, Bishop said, “First of all, it’s no easy task playing against a team as good as Australia. But they are not invincible. They are a juggernaut. You have to try to get the Indian team into a frame of mind that says, ‘it’s a game of cricket.’ It’s not life or death. There must be a sense of belief.” Australia, unbeaten in the ongoing tournament and winners of 49 of the 60 ODIs played against India, enter the semi-final as overwhelming favorites. Yet Bishop underlined that self-belief and calmness could narrow that gulf. Read also: Australia wary of India’s depth ahead of 2025 World Cup semi Bishop Emphasizes Clarity in Roles and Bowling Depth Bishop also shared his thoughts on the inclusion of young opener Shafali Verma, who replaces the injured Pratika Rawal. He remarked, “It is a one-off game and she has to come in with her mindset like, ‘I got this opportunity to make a difference.’ Be relaxed, but make the best use of it.” The former pacer urged India to opt for bowling depth over an extra batter. Bishop said, “I would like India to have that extra bowling depth and allow the batters to take responsibility. I don’t like part-timers iI don’t like part-timers in such a big game. Back the batting at the top, they are specialists to get you runs, but always have that fall-back, especially at the DY Patil, which looks to be a good batting surface. If you go in with five specialist bowlers, Australia are going to look to target even harder one or two of those to put pressure on India so that captain Harmanpreet then has to go, whether it’s to herself for some part-time bowling.”