Hazy conditions persisted on Thursday morning as India trained at the Kotambi Stadium ahead of its final women’s ODI against the West Indies.
With the series already in its pocket, it was an optional session for the Women in Blue, and indications were clear that the team management could be in a mood to experiment and gauge its bench strength for the inconsequential fixture.
With the Women’s ODI World Cup scheduled at home for next year, the Indian team has already started planning for the marquee event, and as bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi indicated, working towards achieving the goal remains the side’s only target.
Coming on the back of an embarrassing ODI series defeat against Australia, India bounced back smartly with convincing T20I and ODI series wins against the West Indies, and as it hopes to end the year on a high with a win on Friday, Salvi stated, “Since ours is a process-driven team, a few losses or a few wins don’t get into our heads. We just try to focus on the next challenge that is instilled in us and prepare accordingly. That’s how we operate…”
It has been an incredible outing for Smriti Mandhana, with her sixth consecutive fifty across formats. Along with her, Harleen Deol and youngster Pratika Rawal have also stepped up with significant contributions. While Harleen scored her maiden century in international cricket in the previous game, Pratika showed grit and determination on debut.
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The fast bowling bowling department, too, showed promise. Renuka Singh Thakur has led the pack, with Saima Thakor and youngster Titas Sadhu backing her.
Salvi believes that bowling to the ‘modern-day legends’ like Smriti and Harmanpreet Kaur have helped the pacers.
“It always helps when you have players like Smriti and Harmanpreet, who are like modern-day legends. When our bowlers get an opportunity to bowl at them in the nets, it’s always a learning experience for the bowlers – what kind of lengths we need to bowl, what kind of lines we need to bowl against attacking players,” Salvi, a former India fast bowler, said.
Being a day game, the challenges will be different, but Salvi believes that having played enough day cricket, things shouldn’t be difficult for the Indian players.
West Indies, meanwhile, will be hoping to end the series on a high. As it struggled in every department and failed to put up a fight, captain Hayley Matthews’ century and Deandra Dottin’s disciplined bowling have been the only takeaways for the visiting team.
Teams (from)
Teams (from): India: Harmanpreet Kaur (Capt.), Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Richa Ghosh (WK), Uma Chetry, Tejal Hasabnis, Deepti Sharma, Minnu Mani, Priya Mishra, Tanuja Kanwer, Titas Sadhu, Saima Thakor, Renuka Singh Thakur.
West Indies: Hayley Matthews (Capt.), Shemaine Campbelle, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Nerissa Crafton, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Shabika Gajnabi, Chinelle Henry, Zaida James, Qiana Joseph, Mandy Mangru, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, Rashada Williams.
Match starts at 9:30 a.m.
