India sets course for semi-finals while England desperate to stay ashore

A staggering win in their last game that saw the Indian women romp over their Caribbean counterparts by 155 runs will play the perfect mood-setter for a hungry India as they set their eyes upon the English shores in the ongoing World Cup.

More importantly, two of their main batters were back amongst runs as a double whammy from Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur sank a soaring West Indies. Another important aspect for the women in blue was that their bowlers staged a strong comeback after a shaky start with the Caribbeans flying away to a blinder.

When India takes on England, there is a lot more than meets the eye as the rivalry took an intensified turn when 2017 witnessed the Indian women concede a win in the dying embers of the game.

Despite Indian women returning to form in the last match, there will still be a few questions about the middle-order as the run flow has continuously smashed against a wall despite bursts of individual brilliance.

Yastika Bhatia played the perfect knock that signposted the Indian storm to come in the last game but before Mandhana and Kaur brought out the heavy artillery, the Indian batting hit an unexpected snag with their skipper, Mithali Raj and Deepti Sharma going for cheap.

India has so far been relying on individual brilliance that has kept their ship afloat in their two wins. However, given the team sport that cricket is, India will soon have to find an answer to arrest their middle-order decline if they are to continue their journey in the World Cup.

Their bowling department, however, has been in fine touch as their pace and spin department has combined in the right chemistry to reap handsome rewards. However, things won’t be as easy as England has one of the finest sides in the roster of women’s cricket.

The fact that they have lost three of their opening games will make them even more desperate as they take on India. With the likes of Beaumont, Sciver, and Knight in their ranks, England will be hoping to combat a soaring Indian batting lineup with equal force. More importantly, their bowling lineup has been their driving force with the likes of Sophie Ecclestone, Katherine Brunt, and Anya Shrubsole, the latter being the tormentor-in-chief of India in the 2017 final.

A win for India will bring them closer to a semi-final berth while England cannot afford anything other than a victory as a fourth consecutive will virtually put an end to their World Cup campaign. England’s fielding has been a major spot of bother as too many catches have been grassed. In a feat that can be termed as nothing short of a high-voltage encounter, two of the best sides of the world will be hoping to settle a score of the past.