COLOMBO: Pakistan captain Fatima Sana won the toss and opted to field against India in their Women’s ODI World Cup fixture under overcast skies at the R. Premadasa Stadium here on Sunday.
India was forced to make one change to its line-up with seasoned pacer Renuka Singh replacing all-rounder Amanjot Kaur who was reported to be unwell by captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Pakistan meanwhile brought in Sadaf Shamas in place of opener Omaima Sohail. An interesting moment was witnessed at the toss when the two captains did not shake hands.
A persistent threat of rain looms over the high-stakes encounter. The concern is significant, given that the match between Australia and Sri Lanka at the same venue on Saturday was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
According to the pitch report the square boundaries measuring 56m and 63m could pose a challenge for the spinners.
India enters the contest with a formidable and unblemished record against its arch-rival in the ODI format, having emerged victorious in all 11 of their previous encounters. Harmanpreet’s squad will be keen to extend this dominant streak.
The teams:
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt.), Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Kranti Goud, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh.
Pakistan: Muneeba Ali, Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Amin, Aliya Riaz, Natalia Pervaiz, Fatima Sana (capt.), Rameen Shamim, Diana Baig, Sidra Nawaz (wk), Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Iqbal.
