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Commentary
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On some level, you wouldn't be faulted for wondering just how India messed up a straightforward equation against England on Sunday. Needing 55 runs off the last 53 deliveries with 7 wickets and the set duo of Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma at the crease, there had to be just one outcome.
Instead, the Indian batters crashed and burned and somehow, snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. It's a loss that would have stung dearly, for it was the third straight game that India lost which they could have just as easily won, putting their campaign in a pretty tricky position now.
In spite of that result though, India's fate remains in their own hands at this point. Victory over New Zealand at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai tomorrow will get the 'Q' against their name with their third win. Defeat, however, and they will have to win their last game against Bangladesh while hoping that England beat New Zealand too.
It's pretty simple though - India cannot afford to drop another game if they are to hold that World Cup aloft at this very venue come the 2nd of November. They are in need of a win just to bring some more smiles and confidence back in that dressing room, particularly given that they will be hurting after the last game. And having done a fair few things right in this campaign, they would know that tidying up on the fine moments and playing with an extra dash of killer instinct is what they need.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur took a positive step, clearly looking determined to arrest her poor form with the bat. Her run-a-ball 70 was studded with shots on either side of the wicket but what stood out during her 125-run stand with Mandhana was the manner in which both batters rotated strike through the middle-overs, as 121 runs from overs 11-30 would suggest. It ought to serve an indicator to Pratika Rawal and Harleen Deol as well to push on a lot earlier, with the duo finding it difficult to pierce the gaps on a regular basis.
India made a bold call by leaving out Jemimah Rodrigues, who has arguably been their best ODI batter over the last year after Mandhana. Bringing in Renuka Thakur was a step in the right direction to bolster the bowling lineup even as Thakur was unable to breach the England top-order with the new ball, but whether Rodrigues is the one who should sit out is debatable. It is unlikely India make a change though and stick with this combination instead, with Deepti fresh of a stellar all-round performance and Richa Ghosh in destructive hitting form.
Amanjot Kaur endured a tough time in the death overs with the bat against England but her bowling workload has eased with Thakur's entry into the XI. Kranti Goud has had a couple of tough games herself but possesses a lot of skill with the new ball. If she can get back among the wickets and get the ball to shape away and complement Thakur, India would set things up for their spinners to then dictate terms. The only game so far in Navi Mumbai saw dew make its presence felt in the second half, rendering the toss a critical component.
The pitch ought to be good to bat on though and that is something that New Zealand's batting lineup will take. In saying that, they would just want to get out onto the park and play a full game on the back of two washouts in Colombo, which skipper Sophie Devine clearly didn't take kindly too. Devine has been the one standout batter for the White Ferns thus far with Brooke Halliday proving to be useful at number 5, but a lot more is needed of Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer and Amelia Kerr.
Kerr ought to know this ground pretty well having played a fair bit here for the Mumbai Indians in the Women's Premier League. She has bowled superbly thus far, with Eden Carson also showing good rhythm in the last game against Pakistan before the weather intervened. But New Zealand may find it challenging with just two spin options against an Indian lineup that seemingly prefers medium pace over the slower bowlers, throwing the White Ferns a challenge as they look to keep their campaign alive.
Of course, Jess Kerr and Lea Tahuhu have bowled really well all tournament with Devine also chipping in whenever her team has required her to. Rosemary Mair is a clever operator herself with her variations, but New Zealand need to get past Mandhana early in order to put the hosts under pressure. And of course, they would want more from their lower middle-order too, with wicket-keeper Izzy Gaze yet to make a mark on the tournament although Maddy Green did chip in with a useful cameo against Bangladesh.
The recent lack of game time, coupled with the lack of form overall for New Zealand's batters, could make life challenging on Thursday even as they could play on a good batting strip. India, as much as they've lost three on the bounce, should start favorites but the demons of a high pressure encounter could prove to be the biggest challenge to overcome yet on the day.
The White Ferns trounced India at the T20 World Cup last year, but went down 2-1 in a three-match ODI rubber shortly after. No game so far has had ramifications of this kind in this World Cup and the winner could benefit in multiple ways, besides the obvious aspect of staying in the hunt to lift that World Cup. A win on Thursday could swell their belief and spur them on to pulling off something special in the coming days as the tournament reaches its business end. And all of this is enough incentive for either side to keep a calm head and put their best foot forward for what promises to be 100 overs of cricket that will dictate their fate!
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