CHENNAI: Defending a below-par 202 in the first ODI will put India in a good frame of mind as they look to seal the three-match series against England on Monday and gain crucial points in the ICC Women’s Championship.
A clinical bowling performance, led by left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht, helped India cover up an average batting display on Friday. But the team has to be cautious because of a fragile middle-order weakened further by Harmanpreet Kaur’s injury. She is out of the series.
Talking on the eve of the second ODI in Mumbai, skipper Mithali Raj emphasised on the need to have partnerships. “We have to work on partnerships. We had just two, between the openers and mine with Taniya (Bhatia). We need to work on playing the middle overs,” the 36-year-old said. “When we can score 200 with just two partnerships, if another couple of batters can score runs, that would be a good score on this wicket.”
Despite a promising start from Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana, the hosts were reduced to 95/5 in the first match. If not for the determined knocks from Mithali, Jhulan Goswami and Taniya lower down the order, India would have been in trouble.
On Monday, the team will once again bank on Jemimah and Smriti for a solid start. That Jemimah has been scoring consistently at the top is a big positive. The 18-year-old was also the top-scorer in the first ODI with a 58-ball 48.
“She has gradually improved since her debut in South Africa. So much exposure at such a young age will help her progress and take the responsibility of giving a good start. India have, for long, struggled to have a good opening pair. Now I can see good starts since the New Zealand (tour),” said Mithali.
Placed second on the ICC Women’s Championship table, this series is an opportunity for the Women in Blue to consolidate their position and avoid playing qualifiers for the 2021 World Cup. England are seventh and will be determined to bounce back after getting bowled out for 136. For them, the worrying fact is that six of their players were dismissed by spinners in the first ODI.
Game for women’s IPL
Mithali came out in support of a women’s Indian Premier League after having spoken against it earlier. After the runner-up finish in the 2017 World Cup, Mithali felt that India’s domestic pool was not deep enough to start such a tournament.
“I felt that (way) before the ODI World Cup. Now since a year or two, people have gone beyond two-three players. They recognise other players in the squad and now is the time to get in IPL because T20 is a format that ICC is looking to promote in women’s cricket.”