At the start of the tournament, Mithali Raj-led India were considered one of the favourites to win the title. However, despite enough firepower in the squad with a blend of young blood and seasoned campaigners, India’s fate in the Women’s World Cup 2021 will be decided in the last league match of the tournament. India face a tough fight against South Africa in a ‘perform or perish’ scenario at Hagley Oval, Christchurch on a blockbuster Sunday.
Batting needs to fire
India have one of the best batting lineups in the tournament. However, they have not fired as a group consistently. The most consistent performer form India has been Harmanpreet Kaur, who was out of form before. Opener Smriti Mandhana scored a century against West Indies but has not been consistent enough. Skipper Mithali has been lacklustre too and due for a big knock. India’s fiery opener Shafali Verma too has looked a pale shadow of herself.
Bowling department
It will be interesting to see if India go with three spinners, two fast bowlers strategy or not. Replacing Meghna Singh with Poonam Yadav worked for India as she picked up a wicket and kept the scoring rate down. However, South Africa batters are much more destructive compared to Bangladesh batters. Laura Wolvaardt is the second-highest run-scorer with 353 runs from six games at an average of 58.83 including four half-centuries.
Pitch and weather report
There is very little margin of error on the Christchurch pitch for bowlers. A high-scoring match can be expected when the two big teams lock horns with each other. Rain is likely to stay away which will rule out a washout which would have given a point to India along with semi-final berth on the basis of higher net run rate (NRR) compared to West Indies.
India’s qualifying chances if they lose
On the last day of league stage, defending champions England will face Bangladesh. England need a win to qualify for the semi-final against minnows. If Bangladesh pull off a major upset, it will open the gates for India’s qualification despite the loss against South Africa. However, even then India need to ensure that they do not lose by a big margin.
Squads:
India: India: Mithali Raj (c), Harmanpreet Kaur (vc), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Jhulan Goswami, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh Thakur, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav
South Africa: Sune Luus (c), Chloe Tryon (vc), Tazmin Brits, Trisha Chetty, Mignon du Preez, Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Lizelle Lee, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Laura Wolvaardt
