India Women look to level the three-match T20I series against England
After a disappointing start to the three-match T20I series against England on Wednesday, India women, who lost the first T20I by 38 runs, will look for a fight back to level the series and keep it alive.
The second T20I between India women and England women will be played on December 9 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Squads
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Yastika Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper), Amanjot Kaur, Shreyanka Patil, Mannat Kashyap, Saika Ishaque, Renuka Thakur, Titas Sadhu, Pooja Vastrakar, Kanika Ahuja, Minnu Mani.
England: Heather Knight (captain), Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Mahika Gaur, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Danielle Wyatt.
Head to Head
India and England have played 28 T20Is, of which India have won seven and England have won 21. In India, they have played 10 T20Is, of which India have won two and England have won eight.
| India | England | |
| ICC T20I rankings | 4 | 2 |
| Head-to-Head | 7 | 21 |
| In India | 2 | 8 |
Players to watch out
Natalie Sciver-Brunt: England’s star all-rounder won the player of the match award in the first T20I for her outstanding performance with bat and ball. The right-handed middle order batter scored 77 off 53 and claimed 35/1 in four overs, bowling right arm medium pace.
Sophie Ecclestone: The world number 1 women’s T20I bowler was the most successful bowler for England in the first T20I as she snapped 15/3 in four overs, including the priced scalps of Shafali Verma and India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
Shafali Verma: India’s right-handed opening batter was the top run getter for her team in the first T20I as she muscled 52 off 42. She led the run chase from the front and was there in the middle till the 17th over.
Renuka Singh Thakur: This right-arm speedster of India was the pick of the bowlers in the first T20I. She gave India the perfect start as she picked two wickets in the first over of the match. She completed her four-over spell with the figures of 27/3.
Pitch
It will be the second match of the series to be played at the venue. The last game saw over 350 runs being scored. Expect another high scoring contest as the conditions are excellent for batting. Though the fast bowlers may get some assistance with the new ball, it will be the batters who will do most of the talking.
Weather
The weather is expected to be clear and warm. The temperature will hover around 25 degrees Celsius. There will be 22% cloud cover and no chance of rain. The wind will blow from north-northeast.
Milestones Alert
- Smriti Mandhana needs 60 runs to complete 3000 T20I runs
- Deepti Sharma will play her 100th T20I and needs 41 runs to complete 1000 T20I runs
What they said in the pre-match press conference?
Harmanpreet Kaur: “Spin is something which has always been our strength. If I look at our pacers, Renuka is doing really well and at the other end Pooja is helping her. We also need to think about other pacer in the side. But Titas was not well. She bowled in the nets today. Hopefully she would be ready for the next game. Our physios will give a report on her. Going back to the spinners, I feel they have always done well and that is the reason why we picked them.”
Amy Jones: “Glenny [Sarah Glenn] and Soph [Sophie Ecclestone] bowled really well [in the first T20]. They like to keep it simple. They look to attack the stumps as much as possible. If the wicket gives them turn then it is a bonus and if not they are really good at keeping it tight.”