India will hope for a better performance from the batsmen to avoid losing the series
Struggling to score runs, Indian batsmen will need to bat better on a slow pitch to avoid a series loss to Bangladesh in the second women’s ODI here on Wednesday. The spinners, especially the leg spinners, have troubled the Indian batsmen a lot during the Bangladesh tour so far. Indian batsmen also found it difficult to deal with fast bowler Marufa Akhtar in the first ODI on Sunday as the team suffered its first defeat in this format against Bangladesh. After triumphing in the last T20 International, Bangladesh won the first ODI as well and now the hosts will be eyeing a historic series win. With Bangladesh also hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup next year, the Indian batsmen will have to adjust to scoring runs on pitches where the ball doesn’t hit the bat.
The current tour for India has been a rocky one so far with the team barely managing to win the T20I series. Star batter Smriti Mandhana has disappointed on the ongoing tour while Priya Punia, who replaced Shafali Verma in the first ODI of the series, also failed to make a comeback. Both Yastika Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues struggled to rotate the strike and this put extra pressure on the team. In the absence of Richa Ghosh, no batsman is able to play the role of a finisher and the team is struggling to collect boundaries. Amanjot Kaur, who impressed with her bowling on Sunday, has a chance to make a mark with the bat as well and could provide an option as a finisher.
India bowled 19 wides in the first match of the series which is a cause of concern. Team India: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Shefali Verma, Jemima Rodrigues, Yastika Bhatia, Harleen Deol, Devika Vaidya, Uma Chhetri, Amanjot Kaur, Priya Punia, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Anjali Sarwani, Monika Patel, Rashi Kanojia, Anusha Bareddi and Sneh Rana. Bangladesh: Nigar Sultana (Captain), Nahida Akhtar, Murshida Khatoon, Fargana Haque, Shobhana Mostari, Shorna Akhtar, Ritu Moni, Lata Mandal, Disha Biswas, Marufa Akhtar, Sharmin Akhtar, Sanjeeda Akhtar, Rabia Khan, Sultana Khatoon, Salma Khatoon, Fahima Khatoon and Shamima Sultana. Time: The match will start at 9:00 AM IST.
