The hide-and-seek by rain clouds hovering over Navi Mumbai caught everyone’s attention even before the Indian and Australian players arrived for the second semifinal of the ICC Women’s World Cup on Thursday.

Scheduled to start at 3 pm, a spell of light rain since morning has kept the groundsmen busy preparing the pitch for what is being billed as the ‘clash of the tournament.’

The match between the defending champions Australia and the home team India is being treated as a virtual final.

Despite the rain forecast, fans are arriving in good numbers to support the Indian side, which lost three of the four recent face-offs against the Australians within a month.

Both teams bring a rich rivalry: while Australia has the upper hand on paper, India has the potential to turn the tables.

Altho

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