India-W face uphill task against unbeaten England-W in bid for survival in Women's World Cup

In what is going to be a must-win game for Team India to rally back in the hunt for survival in the ongoing ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, they will be squaring off against a formidable England side. Two losses on the trot have scuppered India's chances of powering through to the knock-outs, with the Women in Blue in 4th place on the points table.

A win against England will place them well ahead of New Zealand, who are the closest contenders in terms of points table. New Zealand will be taking the yard against Pakistan on Saturday and a win for them will allow them to leapfrog India into the top four. If India are to keep their hopes alive of making it to the knock-outs, they will have to bring their A-game against an undefeated England so far.

The Indian batting unit has been in fine form but if there is one thing that will be bothering Amol Muzumdar and company is the consistency and the bumpy transitions in the batting order. Against South Africa, India’s top-order failed to deliver while Richa’s late charge bailed them out while against Australia, it was the cream of their batting unit that got them the much-needed fuel for a grandstand finish. However, their lower-middle order crumbled like a house of cards.

The kind of form that England is in will put their entire batting unit to the test and their bowlers will have to come up with something way special. England bundled out South Africa for an ignominious 69 while bossing Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the upcoming matches. However, they had a scare against Pakistan before the rain gods came to their rescue.

With that being said, one can expect an absolute thriller rocking the Holkar Stadium with both teams hoping to put up a show. India will possibly be going in with the same combination despite a couple of defeats as there was heart against two of the toughest teams in the world. England, in all likelihood, will be keeping their playing XI intact to challenge India in the crucial clash.

Venue Watch:

Indore has always been a batting friendly surface with true bounce being prevalent. As the game progresses, the track might slow down but that shouldn’t be decisive enough to leave the batters in a spot of bother. With the kind of firepower that both the teams come into the fray with, one might expect a high-scoring encounter.

X-Factors:

• Smriti Mandhana – The Indian opener roared back to life against Australia. Her phenomenal start provided the Women in Blue with an instrumental platform as they powered to 330. Mandhana being in form simply spells out doom for her counterparts.

• Richa Ghosh – Ghosh has been in fine form in the last couple of games. With the sheer quality that she brings in and the momentum which she is capable of generating, makes her a menacing pick.

Match details:

Match - India vs England, ICC Women's ODI World Cup

Venue – Holkar Stadium, Indore

Date – 19th October, 2025

Time - 3:00 PM

Head-to-head:

Matches played - 79

India - 36

England - 41

Squads:

India:

Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav, Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Amanjot Kaur, Uma Chetry, Shree Charani

England:

Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Em Arlott, Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Emma Lamb, Linsey Smith, Danni Wyatt-Hodge