Sachin Tendulkar believes India and Australia are building a huge rivalry in women's cricket

Indian cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar believes that the Indian and Australian women’s cricket teams are establishing a big rivalry, which in turn is raising the profile of the game among girls back in India whilst also delivering quality encounters at the highest level.

In a bid to fine-tune their preparations for the upcoming T20I World Cup Down Under, India have been involved in a tri-series against the hosts and England. Things have panned out pretty well for the Women in Blue, with Harmanpreet Kaur’s side edging England for a spot in the final alongside Australia.

Saturday, in particular, saw the Indian’s sending out a message to the rest of the world, as Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma helped the side chase down a mammoth target of 174 runs to topple the defending champions in their own backyard in resounding fashion.

Reflecting on the intriguing budding rivalry between the two sides, Tendulkar stated that both the teams have a terrific set of players who bring out the best within each other, and this results in terrific encounters being played out on the pitch.

"Australia and India is becoming a big rivalry. Both teams have terrific youngsters who are talented, positive, fearless and responsible," Tendulkar said.

"These kinds of players, when they go out they produce quality cricket and that's what we are here for and want to watch - quality, competitive cricket."

The 46-year-old also spoke about how the women’s team’s exploits on the international stage are inspiring a whole new generation of girls back in India, who are motivated by these players and dream of taking up the sport.

"India women’s team has already had a huge impact. You see, even in 2017, I was watching the finals of the World Cup at Lord's and India did well," he said.

"There are young girls in India, who are picking up a cricket bat or a cricket ball, who are being motivated by these players."