ENG W VS IND W, 3RD ODI
England managed to outplay India in the previous encounter © Getty
England’s 8-wicket win in a rain-curtailed second ODI at Lord’s has set up a high-stakes decider in Chester-le-Street. Some on-field drama and rain interruptions notwithstanding, England sailed through to a comfortable win after restricting India to a modest total.
Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones, who’ve both had relatively low returns thus far, got important runs under their belt while England’s two left-arm spinners, Sophie Ecclestone and Linsey Smith, put on an impressive show to strangle India’s batting order. With confidence running high across departments, England will focus on delivering a cohesive performance – one where bat and ball complement each other in a bid to seal the series.
India, meanwhile, are unlikely to worry much, particularly after a 3-2 win in the T20Is and a spirited run-chase in the first ODI that put them ahead in this series. The rain-curtailed affair at Lord’s wasn’t really a thorough examination of India’s competence. India’s batters, bar Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma, undeniably had an off-day and they must treat it as such. For India, the challenge lies in not letting their performance in the previous game cloud their judgement or muddle their approach.
One growing worry, however, will perhaps be the form of their captain. While Harmanpreet Kaur’s team has enjoyed a largely successful tour with wins in four of the seven games so far across formats, the skipper’s own returns with the bat – reading 1, 23, 26, 15, 17 and 7 – haven’t been anything to write home about. With no international 50+ score to her name in the calendar year, Harmanpreet will be aware that her performance will be under the scanner, particularly with India’s middle-order faltering in the previous game.
When: Tuesday, 22 July at 5:30 PM IST | 1 PM Local
Where: Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street
What to expect: Much like at Lord’s, rain is likely to be a factor once more. Warnings for thunderstorms were issued for the day before the game and while there are no such warnings for Tuesday, some of the poor weather is likely to linger.
Team News
England: Alice Capsey was released from the squad on the eve of the game allowing her to play for Surrey. With some moisture expected in the surface, England might toy with the idea of playing an extra seamer.
Probable XI: Tammy Beaumont, Amy Jones (wk), Emma Lamb, Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Sophia Dunkley, Maia Bouchier, Em Arlott, Sophie Ecclestone, Charlotte Dean, Kate Cross, Lauren Bell
India: Amanjot Kaur, who was rested at Lord’s after an impressive performance in the first ODI, is likely to return. India may also prefer Radha Yadav for her experience over Sree Charani
Probable XI: Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav, Kranti Goud
What they said:
“See it’s always easy to go with the process. If you think too much about the future, you will not be able to perform in the present. So the mind always remains in the present – what is the situation here, how are you going to perform and what are the plans – these are the things we prepare for. We are taking one game at a time. We aren’t thinking too much about the future. Obviously the World Cup is coming up, it is an important year but we’re thinking about what we’re working on in the present, if we’re able to execute or not, that is important” saidSneh Rana.
“We are taking every game as it comes, but I think ultimately we want to win the series. It will put us with great momentum into the World Cup. We’ve still got lot of time and lot of cricket before then, but hopefully it will only help us” said Charlie Dean.
© Cricbuzz
