The Holkar Stadium in Indore will host a match on Sunday that is pivotal for both teams’ chances of qualification for the semifinals. When Harmanpreet Kaur and Nat Sciver-Brunt walk out for the toss, there will be plenty of familiarity. The two captains are the pillars around which the success of two-time champions Mumbai Indians has been built in the Women’s Premier League. Charlotte Edwards, the legendary former England batter and current head coach, built a strong bond over three years working with Harmanpreet too at MI. Pretty incredibly, Edwards was the player of the match the last time these two sides met at a World Cup match in India back in 2013, in a game where Harmanpreet also announced her arrival on the big stage with her first century. The two teams have also met frequently in the recent past, most recently in a 3-match ODI and 5-match T20I affairs during the English summer, with India winning both series.
There isn’t much that the protagonists on Sunday don’t know about each other.
Which is why Indore could be set for some pre-Diwali fireworks, as India look to bring their World Cup campaign back on track after back-to-back defeats against South Africa and Australia. After a fourth washout in Colombo on Saturday, resulting in South Africa qualifying for the semifinals, only two spots remain in the top four, and India’s margin for mistakes is narrowing down.
England, on the other hand, are unbeaten in the tournament so far, but have the weather in Colombo to thank, as Pakistan were on course to pull off one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history before rain had the final say. Against Bangladesh too, England was in trouble before Heather Knight bailed them out in a run-chase. It’s not all been smooth sailing for their batters, with a lot relying on Sciver-Brunt’s shoulders. Asked about the batting collapses, Edwards joked: “What collapse?” She then added: “But seriously in a tournament like this, you have to forget about things quite quickly. We’ve obviously reviewed that last game Pakistan played really well. But yeah, we’re not dwelling on that. We’re focusing on India.”
If India were watching their matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan, surely they must be considering playing Renuka Singh Thakur. Marufa Akter and Fatima Sana troubled England’s right-hand heavy batting lineup with their indippers, something the Indian pacer is capable of producing consistently with the new ball. But the question they’d have to answer then is whether she comes in as a like-for-like replacement for Kranti Gaud – who picked up a six-for against England in the series decider in July – or they’d drop a batter to have a sixth primary bowling option. Indore’s pitch is expected to be full of runs, which should ideally encourage India to not worry about batting depth but they have been reluctant to go that route so far, which has exposed the inexperienced bowling lineup.
In Vizag, head coach Amol Muzumdar had said that there would be considerations to tweak the balance during the week’s break, minutes after Harmanpreet said two defeats are no reason to tinker with the setup. Muzumdar also said the batting order has been settled for a long time now, so he didn’t see too many reasons to tinker with it.
One of the many concerns for India in this tournament so far has been the lack of runs from Harmanpreet’s bat. But the Indian captain can take heart from her record against England, with three of her seven ODI centuries coming against them, the most recent in the series decider at Chester Le Street. As someone who has played her best knocks at World Cups over the years, India desperately need Harmanpreet to fire.
What’s going to challenge Harmanpreet, and the rest of Indian batters too, is England’s terrific bowling attack. It’s a strange thing to say that an English team has a better spin-bowling unit than India. But led by Sophie Ecclestone — who Edwards confirmed is fit and ready to go after missing the Pakistan match due to illness — England can pose plenty of problems to the Indian batters. Additionally, India have struggled against left-arm spinners this tournament, with Harmanpreet and Jemimah Rodrigues both getting dismissed multiple times in the middle order. England have two in their lineup, with Linsey Smith ably supporting Ecclestone, who has returned to her best as evidenced by a sensational spell against Sri Lanka (4/17 in 10 overs).
It’d be fair to say England have the better bowling depth, while, on paper at least, India have the better batting side – if only they’d shed their inhibitions. If it turns out to be a run fest on Diwali eve, India’s under-pressure bowling attack would have to step up after two disappointing outings.
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