IND-W to bat first in their must-win game against NZ-W
India made one change, Jemimah replaced Amanjot Kaur
The Whiter Ferns remained unchanged for this tie
New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine won the toss and opted to bowl first in their crunch game against India in what is a must-win for either side in the ICC Women's ODI World Cup on Thursday, in Navi Mumbai.
Hosts India, who are on a three-match losing streak, have made one change, bringing back the experienced Jemimah Rodrigues in place of all-rounder Amanjot Kaur.
New Zealand, who have had two games washed out, are unchanged.
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Speaking at the toss, Kaur said - "The pitch is looking really good and I think we have got a great opportunity, today we have added extra batters. So I think it's a great opportunity to set a decent total on the board. Jemimah is in for Amanjot. It was a little disappointing for all of us because we have been playing good cricket but unfortunately we were not able to get the result. But today is a very important game and we all want to enjoy this moment and play good cricket. We are getting starts but unfortunately we are able to make it big. But today is a great opportunity and we are looking for everyone to do well for the team."
Sophie Devine reckoned the surface won't change much as she opted to bowl. She said, "We're going to the bowl first today. We don't think the surface will change too much. If anything, it might hopefully get better under lights and maybe with a bit of dew coming in. I don't think it's going to change much. We've still been training exceptionally hard and we've got to have trust in the work that we've done. A couple of extra sessions isn't going to change too much for what we've got as a group. So for us, fresh is best. We obviously haven't played as much cricket, especially with the bat. But it's left us really excited and chomping at the bit to be able to get out here and hopefully get a full 100 overs in today. This is the moment that all cricketers want to be playing in high-pressure situations, playing in India at a World Cup, it doesn't get much better than this. We're really excited about it. We certainly know the challenge that's ahead of us. But this is what you want to be taking on as a high-performance athlete. Going with the same XI today."
India Vs New Zealand, ICC Women's World Cup: Playing XIs
India Women (Playing XI): Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh(w), Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur
New Zealand Women (Playing XI): Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine(c), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze(w), Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson
