ICC Women’s WT20, India vs England: IND’s predicted XI for Semi-final 2
ICC Women’s WT20: A look at India’s predicted XI for the blockbuster semi-final clash against England.
India will be looking to erase the memories of a heart-breaking World Cup final defeat last year when they take on England in the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s World T20 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Friday morning.
India beat two formidable teams — New Zealand and Australia — in their group maintaining an all-win record in the group stage but reigning World Champions in the 50-over format may pose a different threat altogether. A look at the predicted XI for the India vs England match in ICC Women’s WT20 –
Mithali Raj
Stalwart Mithali Raj missed the last game due to illness but would be raring to go in this crunch semi-final clash. Mithali has been on a roll in the tournament and has slammed two consecutive fifties against Pakistan and Ireland respectively and will look for a similar impact against England.
Smriti Mandhana
Southpaw Smriti Mandhana will partner Mithali Raj at the top for India. After low key performances in her first three outings, Mandhana roared back to life against Australia and smashed a 55-ball 83 to help India win the match by 48 runs and top their group.
Jemimah Rodrigues
Youngster Jemimah Rodrigues has been performing well in the tournament up to this point and India will once again need her calming presence in the middle-order. She holds the innings from one end and gives explosive batters like Mandhana and Harmanpreet chance to take the game to the bowlers. With 99 runs to her kitty already, Rodrigues will look to add to her tally against England.
Harmanpreet Kaur
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur is the leading run-getter of the tournament and she has already smashed 12 sixes and 12 boundaries in four outings. Harmanpreet has been striking the ball well up to this point and will be eager to fire India into the championship clash. Expect another masterclass from the India skipper.
Veda Krishnamurthy
Veda Krishnamurthy’s aggressive batting style makes her one of the first names on the team sheet for India for the semi-final. So far, Veda hasn’t managed to perform at her optimum levels because of India’s in-form top-order. But with back to back failures with the bat against Ireland and Australia respectively, Veda knows she will have to bring her A-game against England.
Taniya Bhatia
Wicket-keeper Taniya Bhatia has been performing consistently behind the stumps thus far. She hasn’t had a chance to show what she can to with the bat but as far as keeping is concerned, she has been up to the mark in the three matches.
Dayalan Hemalatha
After scalping five wickets in the first two matches of the tournament, Dayalan Hemalatha has put up couple of lukewarm performances against Ireland and Australia respectively. But being a handy batter tips the scale in favour of Hemalatha for this blockbuster clash against England.
Deepti Sharma
Since breaking into the team, Deepti Sharma has made a name for herself as a reliable batter and an off-break bowler. After going wicket-less in the first two matches, she picked up two each in the next two matches. India will need another big performance from their star spinner.
Radha Yadav
Spinner Radha Yadav is somewhat of a T20 specialist and she has been performing like one in the ongoing tournament. Yadav has scalped seven wickets in four matches and is one of the leading wicket-takers of the tournament.
Arundhati Reddy
Medium pacer Arundhati Reddy hasn’t come to the party yet in the tournament as she has picked up just two wickets so far in the tournament. Despite this, Reddy’s economy rate has been good throughout the course of the tournament so far and she has been complimenting the spinners well from the other end.
Poonam Yadav
With eight wickets in the bag, spinner Poonam Yadav is the leading wicket-taker for India in the tournament. She remains India’s most experienced spinner and one of the first names on the sheet due to her wicket-taking abilities. If India are to get past England, Yadav will need to be at the top of her game.