India Women vs England Women, 1st ODI: Preview and Predicted XI
After defeating the White Ferns in their own den, the Indian women's team are set to host the current ODI champions and World No. 2 team, England women, in a three-match ODI series at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The opening game will be played on Friday, February 22.
Head to Head Overall: India Women and England Women have played 64 completed WODI fixtures against each other, with India securing a win on 28 occasions and the opponents having clinched the honors in 36 games.
Previous series in India: The English Women previously visited the subcontinent shores in April 2018 for a three-game WODI series, which they lost by a 1-2 margin.
India Women
India Women are coming in on the back of an impressive series win against the New Zealand Women, and they will be oozing with confidence ahead of the clash.
Batting
The team faced a major blow ahead of the clash, due to the unwanted exclusion of vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur from the squad, who sustained an ankle injury in Patiala. In her absence, skipper Mithali Raj and Deepti Sharma will have to bear the middle order responsibility.
The opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues were India's key players during the WODI clash against White Ferns. In that series, Mandhana topped the batting charts with 196 runs in three outings, while Rodrigues displayed her skills with an unbeaten 81 in the opening encounter. These two will be expected to offer a good start against England as well.
Bowling
The bowling pair of Poonam Yadav and Ekta Bisht will hold the key against England. The two shared 11 wickets between them and played a key role in the teams' win against New Zealand. The management will need these two to continue their good work; they will be assisted by the experienced Jhulan Goswami too.
Deepti Sharma and Shikha Pandey are the other bowling options, and they also have the ability to clinch wickets at regular intervals.
Expected Playing XI
Mithali Raj (C), Jhulan Goswami, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (W), Ekta Bisht, Poonam Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Mansi Joshi and Punam Raut.
England Women
The women from England are also coming on the back of 2-1 series win against the White Ferns. They have received a major boost in their lineup with the return of Sarah Taylor, and India would be wary of taking them lightly.
Batting
Amy Jones, Natalie Sciver and Sarah Taylor are the backbone of the team's ODI lineup, and have been in good form in their last few matches. These three are likely to pose a major threat to the hosts and could cause a major headache for the Indians, if not dismissed early.
Meanwhile, skipper Heather Knight as well as Katherine Brunt are capable of holding the innings together in case of early jolts.
Bowling
Sophie Ecclestone and Laura Marsh were their leading wicket takers against the White Ferns with six and five wickets respectively. Georgia Elwiss snared four scalps and these three, along with Anya Shrubsole, will be expected to clinch crucial breakthroughs for the visitors.
Expected Playing XI
Heather Knight (C), Natalie Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Taylor (W), Danielle Wyatt, Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Elwiss, Laura Marsh and Amy Jones.