The Indian women’s team will kick start their World Cup campaign tomorrow against the New Zealand women’s team at the Dubai International Stadium, and it is safe to say that the latter is coming into this tournament on the back of a very rough patch.
The Indian women’s team will be looking to replicate the success of the men’s team, which won the T20 World Cup earlier this year but it will be no easy task, as they have a tough group to navigate.
Group A consists of India, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, and the Indian team needs to bring its A-game.
New Zealand have the advantage in head-to-head, having won nine of the 13 matches they’ve played against India but they must know that those are nothing but mere numbers of the past.
The match will begin at 7:30 PM, IST.
Sophie Devine’s new role
Although the New Zealand squad is filled to the brim with experience, a lot relies on their stalwart batter Sophie Devine.
In the recent past, she has been used as a floater in the top order, batting at no.3 and no.4 to ensure she finishes games for the team rather than playing in her usual role, the opener.
It is a bold move by the management to break up the highly successful opening pair of Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates, since the duo is the third most successful opening pairing in Women’s T20, amassing 1702 runs in 45 innings together at a healthy average of 37.82.
They’re only behind India’s Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, and Australia’s Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney.
But head coach Ben Sawyer insists that Devine is more crucial to their batting unit as someone who takes the innings through and finishes rather than just giving quick starts.
He feels her role as the team’s no.3 will not only allow her to face the maximum number of balls outside an opener, it also give the team security in the middle overs against spin and once Devine is set, she can take the game through.
Along with Devine, Amelia Kerr and Suzie Bates are New Zealand’s biggest batting strengths.
Kerr’s capabilities as an all-rounder will be crucial to her team’s success. She comes into this fixture on the back of good scores in the warm-up matches and she also has shown her capabilities with the ball in hand.
Kerr and Leigh Kasperek are the spin duo that can trouble the Indian batters, although, with conditions hinted at helping seam, their quicks will be looking to make early inroads against the swashbuckling opening pair of India.
A strong Indian side with big aspirations
When it comes to the Indian squad, there is no shortage of stalwarts or talent.
This might just be one of the most balanced Indian women’s teams in a long time be it batting or bowling.
For starters, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma can wreak havoc on any bowling attack on their day, and they have Jemimah Rodriguez, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Richa Ghosh to take them through the middle overs and finish innings.
They also have the hard-hitting Sajana Sajeevan who could be used as a finisher.
In the bowling department, they have two very reliable pace options in Pooja Vastrakar and Renuka Singh and the spin department is as versatile as it could be with multiple options.
Left-arm spinner Radha Yadav, off-spinner Deepti Sharma, and leggie Asha Shobana could well be the frontline spin attack for the women in blue.
They also have Shreyanka Patil to call upon, and she can be a very tricky spinner to deal with.
But what is indeed a cause for concern is the ability to handle pressure. The Indian team, based on recent history have shown to crumble under pressure and the Women’s Asia Cup finals is the latest addition.
After dominating the tournament and coming into the finals as favorites, the Indian women lost the final to Sri Lanka, who beat them rather convincingly.
How does the pitch fare at the Dubai International Stadium?
It is no secret that chasing has been the name of the game at the Dubai International Stadium, with conditions becoming much better to bat on in the second innings, especially at night.
With the pitch expected to seam a bit initially, fast bowlers might benefit from it and there could also be a hint of turn in it for the spinners but by and large, pitches in this stadium have yielded high-scoring matches so expect the batters to have a lot of fun tomorrow, especially given the quality on offer in both teams.
The team winning the toss will undoubtedly look to bowl first.