Powerhouse Mooney set to seize opening

Australia T20 star Beth Mooney couldn't have asked for better preparation for the upcoming T20I tri-series against India and England than her two one-day knocks in Vadodara last week.

Coming in at No.6 with Australia's top-order having already laid a strong foundation on both occasions, Mooney belted 56 from 40 balls in the second ODI and followed up with a scintillating 34no from 19 in the final match.

The Queenslander is likely to return to the top of the order for the 20-over format, where she'll join an in-form Alyssa Healy, and she hopes to replicate those one-day efforts against the new ball.

"I found myself in a different role in the middle-order, but it was good because I didn't have a lot of time to bat so I had a bit of a license to get going quite early on in my innings," Mooney said on Tuesday.

"As an opener in one-day cricket you don't always get that luxury, so it was nice to hit a few out of the middle and get into the swing of things.

"I'm really looking forward to the T20s. Hopefully we can get some big scores on the board.

"I might be back in a different spot (opening) in these T20s, so if I get that opportunity hopefully I can hit the ball like I did in the ODIs."

Mooney was named the ICC's T20I Player of the Year for 2017 for her outstanding performances in the T20 leg of the Ashes last November.

After being dropped for the ODI portion of the series, Mooney returned with a bang in the shortest format, posting 87no and 117no.

The 24-year-old acknowledged the expectations on her would now be higher after those performances, but doesn't believe it will have any impact on the way she goes about her cricket.

"Things like that do come with added expectation from outside, but that doesn't trump the expectations I have of myself," she said.

"It doesn't add anything to what I expect form my own game, which is to be consistent and contribute positively to any wins we have and to make an impact.

"So hopefully I can continue to do all that."

The tri-series looms as a crucial opportunity for Australia to nail down their ideal approach to 20-over cricket ahead of this November's World T20 in the Caribbean.

And after an outstanding 3-0 ODI series win that was headlined by bold batting performances, Mooney is confident Australia are now on the right track to turn around their recent disappointing T20I results.

The Southern Stars, who have claimed three of five World T20 titles since the first event in 2009, haven't won a 20-over series since mid-2015.

"If you look at scorecards from last couple one-day games, we've already half-started that transition back to the T20 format," Mooney said.

"We kicked a lot of goals in the one-day series and we've obviously got a few more that we want to kick in the T20s.

"It's about being a bit more consistent in the T20 format, we don't have a very good record of winning T20I series in the last couple of years.

"That's something we want to nail and get really consistent at so we get back to being a bit of a powerhouse in world T20 cricket."

Commonwealth Bank Tour of India

Australia T20 squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Naomi Stalenberg, Elyse Villani, Amanda-Jade Wellington

India T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Mithali Raj, Veda Krishnamurthy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Anuja Patil, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Rumeli Dhar, Mona Meshram.

England T20I squad: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Kate Cross, Alice Davidson-Richards, Sophie Ecclestone, Tash Farrant, Katie George, Jenny Gunn, Alex Hartley, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones, Anya Shrubsole, Bryony Smith, Nat Sciver, Fran Wilson, Danni Wyatt

Warm-up match Australia beat India A by 321 runs. Report

Warm-up match Australia beat India A by seven wickets. Report

ODI series

First ODI Australia won by eight wickets. Scorecard

Second ODI Australia won by 60 runs. Scorecard

Third ODI Australia won by 97 runs. Scorecard

T20I tri-series

First T20I Australia v India, Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, March 22. Live Coverage

Second T20I Australia v England, Brabourne Stadium, March 23. Live Coverage

Third T20I India v England, Brabourne Stadium, March 25. Live Coverage

Fourth T20I Australia v India, Brabourne Stadium, March 26. Live Coverage

Fifth T20I Australia v England, Brabourne Stadium, March 28. Live Coverage

Sixth T20I India v England, Brabourne Stadium, March 29. Live Coverage

Final Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, March 31. Live Coverage