After a comprehensive victory against arch-rivals Pakistan, Mithali Raj-led India face a tough challenge as they face hosts New Zealand in their second game of Women's World Cup 2022.
The Indian team would be hoping for a better show against the White Ferns as they were recently outclassed by them in the five-ODI series by 4-1.
The game will be played at Hamilton's Seddon Park. If the pitch stays true to its usual character, it will be a batting paradise. Indian batters will need to put a better show than the one they did against Pakistan in their campaign opener.
One of the main issues in their batting lineup has been Shafali Verma. The teenage sensation has not fired in a while as she has registered three ducks in her last four appearances with the bat (including the warm-up game against West Indies). Veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami has also backed her to fire against the hosts.
In the first game, skipper Mithali and Harmanpreet Kaur registered single-digit scores. While Mithali has been among runs of late, Harmanpreet came off a lean patch and managed to score a solitary fifty in the ODI series against New Zealand.
However, the big positive for India in the previous game was lower middle-order batters showing immense levels of composure after a batting collapse.
India’s bowling department was lacklustre against New Zealand in the ODI series. The hosts were able to chase down scores in excess of 270 as well. Amelia Kerr turned out to be Indian bowlers’ nemesis. Also, skipper Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates have been in good form of late too. India bowlers will have a tough time tackling these three batters.
A win will take India to the top of the points table as they have a better net run rate (NRR) than top-ranked Australia. On the other hand, New Zealand will have to win big to dethrone Australia. New Zealand lost their first game against West Indies by a narrow margin of three runs in last-over thriller. In the second game, they outclassed Bangladesh in a rain-curtailed game.
Squads
India: Mithali Raj (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Rich Ghosh (wk), Taniya Bhatia (wk), Sneh Rana, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav, Jhulan Goswami, Renuka Singh.
New Zealand: Sophie Devine (c), Amy Satterthwaite (vc), Suzie Bates, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Amelia Kerr, Frances Mackay, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu.
