India Women are set to face West Indies in the second match of the T20 World Cup campaign on February 15, Wednesday. While Team India defeated Pakistan by 7 wickets in their opening match of the mega event, West Indies suffered a loss to the England Women's team by 7 wickets in their first game. The women in blue will want to keep their momentum. On the other hand, the West Indies women will want to make a comeback.
Having got the better of Pakistan in the high-voltage thriller, India would aim to put up an improved bowling show against West Indies in the game to be played at Newlands, Cape Town.
In the first game, Team India managed to chase the highest total ever against Pakistan without vice-captain Smriti Mandhana. The star player had sustained an injury on her finger but is likely to be back in the playing line-up against West Indies as she came through a pre-match training session unscathed.
India bowling coach Troy Cooley is hopeful that Mandhana will be fit to make her first appearance in the tournament.
“She has been working very hard and she will be assessed after training.
She did everything that needed to be done and we are pretty confident she got through the session OK,” Cooley said.
The Indian bowlers were guilty of allowing Pakistan to score 91 runs in the second half of their innings. With tougher opposition expected as the tournament progresses, the Indian bowlers couldn't have asked for a better opponent than a familiar West Indies side.
If India want to win the title, the batting department too has to pull up its socks.
Opening the innings in the absence of Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia struggled to stabilise the innings while skipper Harmanpreet Kaur too perished without making an impact. In such a situation, Mandhana will play an important role in the fix.
Jemimah Rodrigues, however, hit form after an underwhelming run as she anchored the innings but the middle-order batter will have to manage her strike rate better and go for the big shots.
West Indies, on the other hand, will want to register their first win in the tournament and open their account.
The Hayley Matthews-led side is struggling as they have lost 14 matches on the trot. The skipper has experience of delivering on the big stage and will want to step up. Stefanie Taylor, who has returned from a back injury will also be a player to watch out for.
The match which is set to begin at 6:30 PM IST is crucial for West Indies as a loss would knock them off the semifinal contention.
Full Squads:
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Richa Ghosh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Radha Yadav, Renuka Thakur, Anjali Sarvani, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shikha Pandey.
West Indies: Hayley Matthews (c), Shemaine Campbelle (vc), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Afy Fletcher, Shabika Gajnabi, Chinelle Henry, Trishan Holder, Zaida James, Djenaba Joseph, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Shakera Selman, Stafanie Taylor, Rashada Williams.
