Queenstown: The series is already out of its grasp, a desperate Indian women’s cricket team will try to break the losing streak and salvage some pride by solving its bowling and fielding woes in the fourth ODI against New Zealand here on Tuesday.
India suffered a second consecutive three-wicket loss to hosts New Zealand in the third match to allow the five-ODI series.
It was another limited overs series loss for the Indian team, following defeats to South Africa at home and to England and Australia in the past 12 months.
In the ongoing rubber, if batting let the team down in the one-off T20I and the first ODI, it was the bowlers and outfielders who failed to keep things in check in the final two games when the New Zealand side successfully chased large totals.
With the World Cup approaching, Mithali Raj’s team will have to iron out flaws in the next two ODIs and the return of star opener Smriti Mandhana and pacesetter Meghna Singh will bolster the team as it looks set to pick up some momentum for the big ticket event .
In the bowling department, veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami was the only bright spot in the 3rd ODI as she topped the ranking by three wickets, but she lacked support as New Zealand recovered from 171 for 6 to chase 280 with five balls left.
With Meghna back, India will aim to pull off a strong and steady speed attack in the remaining two ODIs after experimenting with Pooja Vastrakar, Simran Bahadur and Renuka Singh.
Among the spinners, Deepti Sharma shone with seven scalps, including a four-wicket-haul in the second ODI, but the likes of Poonam Yadav and Rajeshwari Gayakwad will have to put in more consistent shows.
India’s batting looked good with Sabbhineni Meghana taking the opportunity with both hands, hitting 49 and 61 in the last two ODIs in the absence of Mandhana. Shafali Verma also returned to form with a 57-ball 51 in the third game.
With Mandhana back, it will be interesting to see the combination skipper Mithali performs in the next two ODIs, especially with Harmanpreet Kaur struggling to get runs in the middle.
New Zealand, on the other hand, works like a well-oiled machine. The hosts are very confident after chasing two big scores, but one area they want to improve is bowling in the last two games.
Amelia Kerr (219) and Suzie Bates (127) were their best hitters, hitting a hundred each in the first two games.
If the two have provided solidity of the highest order, Amy Satterthwaite has been impressive in the middle with 122 runs in the series so far.
In the third ODI, it was Lauren Down and Katey Martin who showed their prowess in the order, stitching a match-winning 76-run stand for the seventh wicket.
In bowling, Jess Kerr and regular skipper Sophie Devine were their most successful bowlers with five and four wickets respectively, but the hosts let the Indians score big totals and they will have to pull their socks off in the next two games.
Selection:
India: Sabbhineni Meghana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Mithali Raj (Captain), Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Simran Bahadur, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Sneh Rana, Meghna, Singh, Renuka Singh, Smriti Mandhana, Jhulan Goswami.
New Zealand: Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates, Amelia Kerr, Amy Satterthwaite (c), Maddy Green, Katey Martin (wk), Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Fran Jonas, Lea Tahuhu, Lauren Down, Frances Mackay, Hanna Rowe.
Match starts at 3:30 a.m. IST.
Also Read: Active COVID-19 cases in India drop to 2.02,131
