Snehasis Mukherjee in Visakhapatnam
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues were the only two players who attended Team India’s optional practice session in Vizag, a day ahead of their ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup clash against South Africa.
Yesterday, both were absent from training, which raised eyebrows — especially around Jemimah’s possible exclusion from the playing XI. However, today’s session seemed to confirm that the middle-order batter will be part of the line-up. If India decide to include both Renuka Singh Thakur and Amanjot Kaur, then one spinner might have to make way, most likely Sneh Rana, who looked slightly off rhythm during yesterday’s nets.
Harmanpreet began her session with catching drills before spending around 30 minutes batting in the nets. For Jemimah, the focus was on sweep shots against spin. In both games so far, she has been dismissed by spinners — including against Pakistan, where she was trapped in front while attempting a sweep.
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Meanwhile, South Africa also held their only practice session before the match. Drizzles at the start delayed it by about 30 minutes, forcing most of the outfield and main pitch to stay under covers. Eventually, they used a single practice pitch for their net session.
Captain Laura Wolvaardt, who is yet to make an impact with the bat in this tournament, spent extra time at the nets. She was seen in a long conversation with head coach Mandla Mashimbyi, who helped her with some adjustments in stance and technique. Other South African batters focused on power hitting, especially clearing the ropes consistently.
An interesting drill caught attention — one of the support staff was seen giving loopy catches near the boundary line, helping fielders practice one-handed takes.
South Africa continued their training under the lights, fine-tuning their skills ahead of the big clash. However, with rain in the air in Vizag, the weather could play a pivotal part tomorrow.
Also Read: Whoever plays spin better will win: SA’s Nadine de Klerk ahead of India clash