Snehasis Mukherjee in Navi Mumbai
Team India had their optional and final practice session ahead of the crucial semi-final clash against Australia on Thursday in Navi Mumbai. Amanjot Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Arundhati Reddy, Harleen Deol, Shafali Verma, and Uma Chetry were the only ones who attended. All of them had their usual stints at the nets.
Harleen was seen putting in the hard yards, especially against short deliveries. Some tiles were placed where the thrower aimed the plastic balls, and Harleen focused mainly on cuts, pulls, and backfoot punches. The same drill that skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur did in Indore before the England clash. Amanjot, on the other hand, was seen concentrating on her sweep shots against the net bowlers.
Once again, Smriti was seen having a long chat with Jemimah about her stroke-play, stance, and technique. Chetry looked in sublime touch, timing the ball beautifully to the leg side and straight down the ground.
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However, there was no sign of Richa Ghosh at the session, raising questions about her fitness. Whether she will be ready for the semi-final remains unclear.
Meanwhile, Shafali was seen bowling at the nets. It looked like she could be that supporting or sixth bowling option that Harmanpreet might turn to if needed. Vice-captain Smriti also inspected the pitch closely at the end of the session, accompanied by Arundhati and Jemimah. She even had a brief chat with the curator before leaving.
For Australia, head coach Shelley Nitschke went straight to the pitch for an inspection after completing the pre-match press conference. Both Phoebe Litchfield and Georgia Voll batted together at the nets against Georgia Wareham and Ashleigh Gardner, with the head coach herself giving throwdowns.
Ellyse Perry had a catching session, focusing on high balls, while Beth Mooney and Annabel Sutherland faced several net bowlers in the other nets. There was no sign of Alyssa Healy at the practice, so whether she will make her return in tomorrow’s semi-final remains to be seen.
Also Read: Shafali, Richa in focus as India gear up for semi-final showdown with Australia