After winning all their matches in a tough group, the Indian women's team ready themselves to take on the English women's team in the second semi-final of the Women's World T20 2018 at Antigua.
The game will be held at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium tomorrow evening, which corresponds to the early hours of Friday in India.
Team News
India has used only 13 players in the tournament thus far with one of the changes – in the last game against Australia – being a forced one.
Mithali Raj, who sat out the last game, with a slight injury is expected to make her return to the top of the order alongside Smriti Mandhana. Anuja Patil, despite picking up 3 wickets against Australia is likely to make way for the right-hander.
India will welcome the return of Raj with glee as she has been instrumental in winning two tricky games for the 'Women in Blue'
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur is also playing at her destructive best and along with 18-year-old Jemimah Rodrigues completes a very strong top order for India.
In the bowling department, India will once again depend on their spinners led by Poonam Yadav (8 wickets) and Radha Yadav (7 wickets). Arundhati Reddy is also expected to keep her place ahead of fellow pacer Mansi Joshi.
The Indian team has been performing very well in the ongoing World T20 and has lived up to their coach's claim of dominating rather than just competing.
While England's batting is yet to set the tournament alight, Anya Shrubsole has been prolific with the ball in hand as she picked up a hat-trick against South Africa in a group game. Shrubsole's batting seems to come alive whenever she bowls well and India will be wary of her quick contributions down the order.
Probable XI
India: Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana, Poonam Yadav, Veda Krishnamurthy, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Taniya Bhatia (WK), Radha Yadav, Dayalan Hemalatha, Arundhati Reddy
England: Heather Knight (c), Anya Shrubsole, Danielle Wyatt, Tammy Beaumont, Amy Ellen Jones (WK), Natalie Sciver, Lauren Winfield, Sophie Ecclestone, Kirstie Gordon, Linsey Smith, Sophia Dunkley Brown
Pitch and Conditions:
This will be the first match of the tournament that will be played in this stadium and the pitch is expected to be flat promising good value for strokes. The spinners might get some assistance too if they pitch the ball in the right areas.
The temperatures in North Sound Antigua is expected to be around a pleasant 26 degrees providing perfect conditions to play cricket.
