A 58-run loss in the women’s T20 World Cup lung opener against New Zealand isn’t the ideal start that the Indian team would have expected heading into Sunday’s high-octane Group A contest against arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai. But with hardly 24 hours turnaround time, Harmanpreet Kaur and Co will have to regroup quickly and iron out the imbalances if they are to keep themselves in the race to the semifinals of the marquee tournament.
India’s run-rate currently stands at a poor -2.99 and it makes big victories mandatory for them in the remaining three matches against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia.
Against the White Ferns, India failed in all three departments, but needed to be at their best heading into a crunch tie against Pakistan, high on confidence after beating a strong Sri Lanka in the first match on Thursday.
For that, India will have to sort out their combination straight, and add the extra batter which they missed in the opener in order to accommodate an extra pacer in Arundhati Reddy. The move forced the unusual promotion of Harmanpreet to No. 3, Jemimah Rodrigues to No.4 and Richa Ghosh to No.5, not the regular slots for these batters.
In that context, India might just think of adding Dayalan Hemalatha to bolster the batting. India’s decision to go in with three pacers was a well-thought move but the under-utilisation of Pooja Vastrakar, the third-best bowler in T20Is this year with 20 wickets from 16 matches, meant they had to leave left-arm spinner Radha Yadav, their second most successful T20I bowler with 22 wickets from 13 matches, on a dry hard surface.
Keeping that in mind, the team management will have to quickly sort out the combination ahead of the Pakistan game as another defeat will seriously hamper India’s chances of progressing to the last-four stage from Group A. Against Pakistan in T20Is, India have a head-to-head edge, winning 12 out of 15 matches so far, but in a crunch World Cup game, the Women in Green have the ammunition to upset their more fancied opponents.
Pakistan boasts of a formidable bowling attack led by the experienced Nida Dhar, captain Fatima Sana and Sadia Iqbal. However, Pakistan will keep a close eye on the fitness lead pacer Diana Baig after she suffered a calf strain in the match against Sri Lanka, limping out after bowling just one ball.
Teams:
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia (subject to fitness), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil (subject to fitness), Sajana Sajeevan
Travelling reserves: Uma Chetry (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Saima Thakor
Pakistan: Fatima Sana (c), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Muneeba Ali, Nashra Sundhu, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal (subject to fitness), Sidra Amin, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Tuba Hassan
Travelling reserve: Najiha Alvi (wk).