India look to fix batting woes in must-win game
On a sticky wicket after a mixed start to the campaign, India will look to fix their batting woes to bolster their net run rate when they take on bottom-placed Sri Lanka in their third and penultimate Group A match of the T20 Women’s World Cup here on Wednesday. It has not been smooth sailing for the Indians so far, having lost to New Zealand by 58 runs in their opener and then scampering home against arch-rivals Pakistan while chasing a modest 105.
India’s main problem in the tournament so far is the performance of their batters, especially the explosive opening combination of Shafali Verma and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana. While Shafali scored just 2 and 32 in the first two games, Mandhana also fared poorly managing 12 and 7 runs. And it’s time the duo fires in unison to ease the pressure on the middle-order. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur scored 15 and 29. The likes of Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh too need to step up with the bat and share the burden.
While medium pacer Arundhati Reddy sparkled against Pakistan with the ball, returning with figures of 3/19, she would look for more support from the likes of fellow pace colleagues Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar, who didn’t play the previous game because of an injury.
The Indian team relies heavily on Deepti in the spin department but she hasn’t quite managed to hit her strides in the tournament so far. Young off-spinner Shreyanka Patil and leg-spinner Asha Shobhana have done a decent job.
Harmanpreet fit for match
Mandhana said Harmanpreet will be leading the side against Sri Lanka. Harmanpreet had walked off the field after suffering a neck injury during the Pakistan game. “She will be fine for tomorrow,” Mandhana said.
However, there is no clarity over the fitness status of Vastrakar. “Pooja, I think the medical team is still working on her. So, the update will come only tomorrow during the match,” said Mandhana.
Mandhana said conditions have been different from their expectations. “Definitely, the wicket, the ground conditions are a lot different to what we thought when we came here,” she said.
