Derby: India skipper Mithali Raj has warned England ahead of Sunday’s summit clash in the ICC Women’s World Cup and said that the hosts should expect a tough contest from her ever-improving and gritty team.
India defeated England by 35 runs in their opening match and the final will be a rematch to decide who lays their hands on the coveted World Cup trophy at Lord’s.
“As a team we are all very excited to be part of the final. We knew that this would be a hard tournament. The way the girls have turned up at every situation when the team needed, whether it was the batters or bowlers, has been really commendable,” Raj told reporters here Thursday.
“It definitely isn’t going to be easy for England. But it will all boil down to how we perform on that day. We really have to work on our planning and strategy because England have also peaked after losing their first game against us. Playing the host country in the final is always tough, but we are ready for the challenge,” added Mithali.
The Indian skipper was all praise for Harmanpreet’s knock and termed it ‘exceptional’. However, she was quick to point out that it was team effort which helped India win against Australia.
“Harman’s innings was exceptional. Bowlers also followed it up. Jhulan (Goswami) is back into her rhythm and Shikha (Pandey) also bowled well. The spinners kept up the pressure on the Aussie batswomen and did a good job. This unit looks compact now,” Mithali pointed out.
“After losing two successive game we made a great comeback against New Zealand and winning the semifinals against Australia is a huge achievement indeed,” Mithali added.
Mithali also asserted that her team had players who can make it to the playing XI of any top women’s side. “We have players now who are of international standard. They are standing up in every game. We have had a new woman of the match in every game and that proves the balance in the side,” Mithali asserted.
“We saw Smriti (Mandhana) play one of the best innings against England. Then Poonam Raut scored against Australia, we also have Harmanpreet. So the top order is scoring when it’s actually needed and also the response from the bowling unit has been fantastic,” added Mithali.
Kaur had suffered cramps during her sensational innings and when asked if she would be available for the summit clash, Mithali replied tongue-in-cheek: “Well, I am sure she would want to be part of playing XI that is going to the World Cup final at Lords.”
“If we can pull off a win in the final, it will be a big thing. It would revolutionise women’s cricket in India. We have that in mind also,”
Press Trust of India
