After winning one match each at Bangalore, India and England women cricket teams play the crucial third one-day at the ACA-VDCA stadium here on Wednesday followed by the fourth on Thursday. This is for the first time that the city as well as ACA is hosting a woman ODI.
A few players on the either side are on the injury list but Indian captain Jhulan Goswami or her English counterpart Charlotte Edwards are seemingly not bothered. One advantage the host has is that all its players have played the inter-zone tournament, the team selection tournament, at the same venue. India won the first ODI comfortably and lost the second by three runs. Former Indian captain Mithali Raj is in good knick having scored two half tons and having been stranded on 91 in the second match. Left-arm spinner Gouhar Sultana has been the most successful bowler in the first two matches.
M.D. Thirush Kamini was injured during the second ODI at Bangalore and Nooshin Al Khadeer has been dropped. In their place Diana David and Sulakshana Naik have been included while Soniya Dabir is likely to make her debut.
The teams had nets at the ACA-VDCA stadium B ground and later talking to reporters Jhulan Goswami said she was hopeful of a good show here against the World No. 1 women’s team. “We need a good start by our openers. We knew our mistakes (from the first two matches) and we should play some good cricket to go one up again”.
England captain said her team needs to live up to its reputation as a good batting side, though its bowling and fielding have been good so far. Charlotte appeared confident of her team batting well on a pitch, which according to her is slightly slow and would not assist spin. “It’s a fantastic ground and a beautiful stadium. We let the first match slip out of our hands. We will win tomorrow”, she asserted.
Her ‘keeper Sarah Taylor suffered a hip injury and left for England today. In her place the young Heather Knight, a Woman Cricket Academy player who is now with the team, is likely to play.
The teams (from)
India : Jhulan Goswami (capt.), Mithali Raj, Amita Sharma, Priyanka Roy, Anagha Deshpande, Diana P. David, Preeti Dimri, Harmanpreet Kaur, Goushar Sultana, Poonam Ganesh Raut, Sulakshana Naik, Anjum Chopra and Soniya Dabir.
England : Charlotte Edwards (capt.), Caroline Atkins, Tamsin Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Lydia Greenway, Isa Guha, Jennifer Gunn, Danielle Hazell, Laura Marsh, Beth Morgan, Ebony Rainford-Brent, Nicola Shaw, Danielle Wyatt and Heather Knight.
Umpires : K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan and Sameer Bandekar. Match referee: Vivek Jaismha.
Match schedule : 9.30 a.m. to 12.40 p.m. and 1.25 p.m. to 4.35 p.m.
