EXCLUSIVE
Follow UsA lot will be at stake for England when they take on India in their next encounter in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022. Having lost three in three, England must beat India to breathe easier in the competition, while India having won two of their three matches will look to put one foot in the next round with a win.
A repeat of the 2017 World Cup final, England will once again look to get the better of India in this game to get off the mark. India batter Veda Krishnamurthy who played the final five years ago reckons this match could not have come at a better time for India as it gives them an opportunity to put more pressure on the defending champions.
“When it comes to the England team, their openers are the biggest concern. Other than Tammy Beaumont, they have not found an able partner so far,” Veda said on Cricket.com’s World Cup Chronicles.
“The middle-order has been doing well. They have been bailing them out for a long time with Nat Sciver, Heather Knight, Sophia Dunkley and Amy Jones. They've done really well.
“It's the openers that's been the biggest concern for them. If that clicks, that's when you can put up a big score. All three have been close games. So, this is the right time for the Indian team to put them under pressure.
“They are on the verge of being out of the World Cup right now. Knowing England, they are all fighters. Not to forget, they still have Bangladesh and Pakistan. So, they will be looking at it to win by a bigger margin to improve their net run-rate. But for the Indian team this is the right time. It's time for us to put pressure on them and make sure that we win that game.”
Concerns revolving Mithali Raj
Skipper Mithali Raj has had a poor tournament so far amassing just 45 runs from three innings at a strike-rate of 43.68. After batting at four in the first two matches, Mithali returned to her preferred No. 3 slot for the West Indies game. Veda is sure if she continues batting in that position, she get back to form.
“Mithali's stats against England is pretty good. I wanted her to bat at three, I hope she sticks to that. With Mithali we always connect her with consistency. Maybe she fails, but there are more chances that she goes on and makes it big in the tournament,” Veda said of her former teammate.
“She has not got runs in three innings and she is due. Maybe the next game is her game - against a team she has scored a lot of runs. Hopefully, she sticks to No. 3 and she'll definitely get runs. Everybody fails, but she has been more successful than she has failed in her batting. I'm sure It's going to come good next game.”
Along with Mithali, Veda says Smriti Mandhana, who smashed a brilliant hundred in the previous game against West Indies the players to watch out for along with spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad.
Smriti and Mithali when it comes to batting against England. These are the two who have done really well against England. I've been in the same XI when they have dominated. I am hoping it would be them,” Veda, who scored 153 runs at 30.60 in the 2017 edition, said.
“At the same time, I am excited to watch Rajeshwari Gayakwad bowl against someone like Heather Knight or a Nat Sciver. She has been brilliant with consistency when it comes to turn and bounce. She is one of the spinners in the tournament who has been economical and at the same time getting wickets as well.”
