VISAKHAPATNAM: It is a little close to 3PM on Wednesday in Visakhapatnam. Set in the scenic backdrop of Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary and Simhachalam Hill Range, the ACA-VDCA Stadium is buzzing. The finishing touches are being given in and around the venue as it gears up for the city’s first Women’s World Cup match — India versus South Africa — on Thursday.
The overnight rains and muggy weather meant the pitch and square had been under covers, but then, slowly, the sun came up in the afternoon, lighting up the mood in the Indian dressing room. Their captain, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues were the only two to have turned up for an optional training session on the eve of the match. The rest of the team had a full-fledged practice on Tuesday after landing in the city.
Much like the stadium itself, out in the middle, it seemed like Rodrigues and Kaur were going through their final routines before the all-important clash. The skipper batted a fair bit on the open field with underarm throws while Rodrigues was sweating out in the centre wicket nets. There were a lot of sweeps and pulls from Rodrigues while Kaur went about a range of shots on either side.
These two players — the crux of the team in the middle-order — know the significance of the clash against South Africa and what lies ahead. India have been pushed and tested by both Sri Lanka and Pakistan before coming out on top. Their next four matches are against South Africa, Australia, England and New Zealand, and India will want to come out of it with at least two more wins. For that, they have to bring out their best and play their perfect game.
That has to start at the top. After a stellar run in the lead-up to the tournament, Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal haven’t been able to get going. Rodrigues knows it has not happened yet, but she and India take heart from the fact that the middle-order has made up for that. “We have had small contributions from the top, but we have had new match winners every match. The opponent team is seeing us, they will know that we have batting till the end. It's scary for the opponents to know that we have not had our perfect match yet, but we are still on a winning streak. We are still waiting for that perfect match to come, and I think such tournaments, because it's so long, it's important to peak at the right time,” said Rodrigues on Wednesday.
The good thing for India is that they are taking on a familiar opponent. Having faced South Africa in the tri-series and the multi-format series last year, these two teams know the ins and outs of each other. Mandhana piled on a lot of runs against them and will be confident of doing it again. Expect the same from Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits as well. This clash between two teams will come down to which bowling attack has a better outing on what is expected to be a rainy day.
On what Rodrigues called a 260-270 pitch — which had been under covers due to overnight rains — India will be looking to score a lot more. For they are once again expected to go in with five bowlers, with Amanjot Kaur coming back in for one of the seamers. As far as they are concerned, it will be crucial for them to pick up another two points before they go up against Australia on Sunday. For South Africa, they want to win as many games as possible after the net run rate blow they took in the opening game. Either way, it makes for a mouthwatering contest between two evenly matched teams.
