Snehasis Mukherjee in Navi Mumbai
Team India finally had their first and only practice session ahead of the crucial clash against New Zealand in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup tomorrow (October 23). It’s a virtual quarter-final between the two sides in Navi Mumbai.
India’s practice was washed out yesterday due to sudden heavy rain. So, the full squad turned up today. After a short warm-up, Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal batted in rotation in one net, while skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Harleen Deol did the same in another. Later, Amanjot Kaur, Deepti Sharma, and Jemimah Rodrigues also had long batting sessions.
One of the main highlights was the long chat between Smriti and Jemimah during Jemimah’s batting stint. After almost every ball, Smriti was seen talking to her about stance and shot selection. Jemimah, who missed the last game against England, looked a little scratchy but spent a lot of time at the crease. Whether she returns to the XI tomorrow remains to be seen.
For More Exciting Articles: Follow RevSportz
Harmanpreet also batted for a long time. After that, she had a one-on-one session with head coach Amol Muzumdar, who bowled a few deliveries to her as she continued knocking. The two were later seen closely observing the nets and discussing things quietly.
Bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi rolled his arm over in the nets, bowling to several batters along with the net bowlers. The Indian batters also faced a left-arm pacer to prepare for New Zealand’s Bree Illing. Fielding coach Munish Bali supervised high-catch drills and ground fielding sessions.
Reserve wicketkeeper Uma Chetry had a long wicketkeeping and batting session. Regular keeper Richa Ghosh also went through her keeping drills before batting in one of the nets. All bowlers — Renuka Singh Thakur, Amanjot, Kranti Gaud, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, and others — bowled long spells. It will be interesting to see if India continue with six bowling options again for this crucial match.
Meanwhile, New Zealand had a light start to their training. All players formed a circle and played football with music playing through a portable speaker. The mood was cheerful with plenty of laughter. Soon after, they shifted focus to their nets.
Like Richa, New Zealand wicketkeeper Izzy Gaze trained separately with the support staff. Skipper Sophie Devine showed her trademark commitment — she was the first to start bowling right after the warm-up. Assistant coach Craig McMillan was seen having a long chat with Brooke Halliday, while all eyes were on Illing, who spent most of her time stretching on the sidelines under the staff’s watch.
It’s still unclear if Illing will be fit to play, but one thing is certain — Navi Mumbai is set for a thrilling battle tomorrow as both teams fight for a semi-final spot.
