Mumbai: The DY Patil Stadium will witness today whether the Indian women’s cricket team’s dreams stay alive or shatter. One win just one and the ICC Women’s World Cup semi-final ticket is confirmed. But if New Zealand pulls off an upset, it’s time to pack bags.
Five matches done, three consecutive losses suffered, Team India still hasn’t settled on its playing XI. Combinations changing every match. New experiments every game. And the biggest problem batting collapsing under pressure.
Navi Mumbai: Home Ground, Last Hope
However, there’s one silver lining. This ground isn’t unfamiliar to Indian players. They’ve played here before in WPL and T20 Internationals. Familiar wicket, familiar atmosphere perhaps this will provide a confidence boost.
“When everything’s at stake, finding yourself playing at a proven venue gives a psychological advantage,” explains a cricket analyst.
But India’s recent record against New Zealand isn’t encouraging. Six wins for the Kiwis in nine matches played since 2022. 34 wins for New Zealand out of 57 ODIs. In World Cups, India’s win-loss ratio is worst against New Zealand.
Will Jemimah Return or Not?
The biggest question facing team management should Jemimah Rodrigues be brought back into the team? She was dropped against England for an extra bowler.
Coach Muzumdar called it “one of the toughest decisions.” The decision worked too England was restricted to 288. But the batting crumbled during the chase. Now the question is do we need Jemimah’s experience at number 5, or stick with the six-bowler theory?
Kranti Gaud: Early Sparkle Fading
23-year-old fast bowler Kranti Gaud was the hero at the tournament’s start. Disciplined bowling, pinpoint yorkers, wickets in early overs. But now runs are being leaked in death bowling.
Against South Africa, she gave just 19 runs in the first five overs taking one wicket. But conceded 40 runs in the final four overs. Against Australia, 73 runs in nine overs, no wickets. Against England, 46 runs in eight overs.
The Navi Mumbai wicket is expected to be batting-friendly. In such conditions, Gaud will need to fix her line-length quickly.
New Zealand’s Own Problems
The Kiwis’ condition isn’t great either. Rain washed out their last two matches. Now for qualification, they must win both remaining matches first India, then England. Not easy.
Captain Sophie Devine called the rain washouts “frustrating.” Her team hasn’t been able to get any momentum.
Openers’ Poor Form
New Zealand’s openers Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer are in worrying form. Their partnership average is just 10.66, second-worst in the tournament.
Bates recorded two ducks, then got run out for 29 against Bangladesh. Plimmer has managed just 35 runs across three matches. No fluency whatsoever visible.
Interestingly, Bates needs just 75 runs to reach the 6000 ODI runs milestone. She could become the second-highest run-scorer in ODIs. But form is so poor this milestone doesn’t look easy.
Weather Will Also Play a Role
The weather forecast for Thursday isn’t encouraging. There’s a chance of rain in the evening. Two days ago, unseasonal rain hit Navi Mumbai, canceling India’s training session.
If the match is completely washed out, India benefits. In that situation, New Zealand would need to beat England in their final match, which is a very difficult task. England’s team is quite strong.
Stats Talk
- Lea Tahuhu will play her 200th international match
- India has played eight T20Is at DY Patil Stadium, won four
- India’s worst record against NZ in World Cups
- Sri Lanka could score only 202 here in the last match
Today’s Contest
For both teams, this match is crucial for different reasons. India needs one win for the semi-final. New Zealand needs to win both matches for qualification.
India has the advantage of home atmosphere. Navi Mumbai is familiar territory for them. But New Zealand has a better head-to-head record and nothing to lose teams are dangerous in do-or-die situations.
The first ball will be bowled at 6:30 PM. Till then, eyes will be on the clouds as well as the pitch.
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