Mithali-led India look to break jinx against England
MUMBAI: For all the strides the Indian women’s cricket team has made in the last two years, it has struggled to get over the line against one team—england. Be it the World Cup final at Lord’s in 2017 or the World T20 semi-final in the West Indies last year, India came a cropper against England in crunch situations.
On Friday, when Mithali Raj & Co step out to take on their bogey opponents in the first of the threematch ODI series at the historic Wankhede Stadium, they will look to overcome this mental hurdle and take a lead that often proves decisive in a short series.
“We do reflect on the last series we played against England. However, we can’t be in awe of them and have to think of ourselves as equal,” said Raj on the eve of the opening ODI here on Thursday.
India will also look to shore up their position in the ICC rankings further with the series being part of the ICC Championship.
Currently ranked No 3 in the world, the team needs to be in the top-four till 2020 to get direct qualification for the 2021 World Cup.
“Being No 3 right now, it is very important because points are at stake. I definitely want the team to get the direct entry so it is important to get as many points as we can from the series. Last time we were short of three points and had to play qualifiers,” said the 36-year-old.
With vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur injured, the captain said it is an opportunity for the youngsters in the squad.
SPOTLIGHT ON TAYLOR Meanwhile, the visitors have got a shot in the arm with the return of star wicketkeeper-batter Sarah Taylor, who had taken a break from cricket to manage her anxiety, and pace bowler Katherine Brunt, who had been out of action due to an injury.
Their return, England skipper Heather Knight believes, gives her team plenty of confidence in their bid to register their first ever series victory on Indian soil.
“We have talked about it (winning a series in India a lot. It is something we want to do as a team. We want to make history. We came last year with a slightly younger side and were not able to win. We lost the series 2-1.So it’s a burning ambition in the team and myself to be able to successful here,” she added.
The visiting captain expressed surprise over 9am start considering there would be a lot of due around that time. She, though, added teams have to make the best of whatever conditions they get to play in.