CHENNAI: On Wednesday, when the Indian women take the field against New Zealand for the only T20I, the focus will largely be on getting acclimatised to the conditions and having some quality game-time going into ODIs as they have six games to try and figure out their team combinations for the World Cup.
With Jemimah Rodrigues, Shikha Pandey and Harleen Deol, who played in India’s last T20I not making the cut, Yastika Bhatia, Sneh Rana, and Meghna Singh, who will be making her debut, are likely to take their place in the eleven. In the pre-departure press conference, ODI skipper Mithali Raj stressed on the importance of the top-order to perform consistently.
“It’s important that the top order, one of them, takes the responsibility of playing through the innings,” she had said. While Smriti Mandhana had a good series in Australia with the bat, teen sensation Shafali Verma blew hot and cold in the multi-format and the Women’s Big Bash League. The team management would want the aggressive opener at her best as she has the capability to take the game away from the opposition quickly.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur as she has had a mixed year with multiple injuries. Though she finished on a high as the player of the tournament in WBBL, her India numbers in last two years don’t augur well. “It is important that you back your players and that’s what we do in this team. Currently, she’s in good form and it’s up to her to capitalise those good days into best days in the World Cup,” head coach Ramesh Powar said.
The bigger issue for them would be figuring out their bowling combinations as Renuka Thakur, Meghna and Pooja Vastrakar have a combined experience of 13 ODIs. However, Mithali has backed them, along with experienced Jhulan Goswami to come good. “Sometimes it is also important to give players an opportunity when they are in rhythm and performing,” she said.
Which is why, more than the result, the T20I would be about the process India would want to take into the World Cup.
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