Harmanpreet-less India take on Taylor-powered England in series opener

Date: February 22, 2019



Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai



India will face England after their defeat in World T20. India will be wanting to cement a win on their homeland, while England will want to beat India in India for the first time ever. England side looks full of experience and aggression with Sarah Taylor and Katherine Brunt’s return to the side. Whereas India star Harmanpreet Kaur has been ruled out due to an ankle injury.



India led by Mithali Raj will look to tackle the English and defend the invincible streak on their home turf.



India has come of the back off a victorious series win against New Zealand, while England hasn’t played an ODI since July 2018. This series is also about the ICC Women's ODI Championship points. India are currently on the fourth position with 12 points while England are on the seventh with ten points from nine games. Due to the political unrest, India are not likely to play that series against Pakistan which makes this series even more crucial.



 



Players to Watch Out for



England



Sarah Taylor is a big name in the World of cricket. She is all set to make a comeback after dealing with anxiety and will certainly bolster England's chances. Katherine Brunt, another aggressive experienced allrounder is making a comeback after her injury. Heather Knight, who saved the day with an unbeaten 64 runs in the warm up game, will look to lead from the front.



India



Smriti Mandhana, the ICC ODI No. 1, who has come back from another spectacular performance in New Zealand will now try to score her first century in India. Also, Jemimah Rodrigues who has held her partnership and tried to convert those small stands to a mammoth partnership will be crucial to India's chances. The spin trio of Deepti Sharma, Poonam Yadav and Ekta Bisht will try to tumble the England batting lineup.



 



Who Said What



“It’s a very important series for us, being no 3 in the points table right now, points are at stake and I definitely want the team to get direct entry . It’s important to get as many points as possible from the series.”- Mithali Raj



“We've got quite a settled batting line-up and each of the batters in the top six or seven are match-winners. Hopefully, a lot more players can step up, as they have done in the last two years." - Heather Knight



 



Probable XI



India: Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Mithali Raj (c), Mona Meshram, Harleen Deol, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Ekta Bisht, Poonam Yadav



England: Tammy Beaumont, Amy Jones, Sarah Taylor (wk), Heather Knight (c), Nat Sciver, Danielle Wyatt, Georgia Elwiss, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Alex Hartley, Anya Shrubsole