India look to bolster NRR against Sri Lanka

PTI, Dubai: On a sticky wicket after a mixed start to the campaign, India will look to fix their batting woes to bolster their net run rate when they take on bottom-placed Sri Lanka in their third and penultimate Group A match of the T20 Women's World Cup here on Wednesday. It has not been smooth sailing for the Indians in the showpiece event so far, having lost to New Zealand by 58 runs in their tournament-opener and then scampering home in 18.5 overs against arch-rivals Pakistan while chasing a modest 105.

India's main problem in the tournament so far is the performance of their batters, especially the explosive opening combination of Shafali Verma and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana. While Shafali scored just 2 and 32 in the first two games, Mandhana also faired poorly managing 12 and 7 runs. And it's time the duo fires in unison to ease the pressure on the middle-order. To make matters worse for India, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who scored 15 and 29 retired hurt, is doubtful for the match against Sri Lanka after suffering a neck injury while batting against Pakistan. The likes of Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh too need to step up with the bat and share the burden of responsibility. While medium pacer Arundhati Reddy sparkled against Pakistan with the ball, returning with figures of 3/19, she would look for more support from the likes of fellow pace colleagues Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar, who didn't play the previous game because of an injury.

The Indian team relies heavily on Deepti Sharma in the spin department but she hasn't quite managed to hit her strides in the tournament so far. Young off-spinner Shreyanka Patil and leg-spinner Asha Shobhana have done a decent job, picking up a few wickets. The Indians will need to lift themselves in all departments of the game as in Australia a strong opponent awaits them in their last group match. India will not only need to win but record a victory big enough against Sri Lanka to boost their Net Run Rate (NRR) before the do-or-die league game against defending champions Australia on October 13. Sri Lanka might have lost both their opening matches, but the islanders won't be an easy opponent for India, especially after the win in the Asia Cup final in August. India opener Shafali admitted that Sri Lanka are no longer only dependent on their skipper Chamarai Athapaththu.

"There was a time when Chamari was the one scoring most of the runs and taking wickets, but in the Asia Cup, her entire team performed well. They've improved a lot, which is why they won the cup," Shafali has said. "Chamari carries the pressure of being a key player, and it's inspiring to see how she handles it for her country." India pacer Renuka also knows how important it is to dismiss the Sri Lankan skipper cheaply as she can take the game away in a flash with her audacious strokeplay. "Chamari Athapaththu is very interesting. She's the only one from Sri Lanka who takes the team to the other side. I try to get her out as soon as possible because if she is set, she can take over the match," Renuka has said.

Team (from): Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajana Sajeevan.