Eves look to seal ODI series against England

Armed with multiple match-winners, India will look to continue their excellent build-up to the forthcoming World Cup when they face England in the potentially series-deciding second and penultimate women’s ODI here on Saturday.

India won the opener at Southampton by four wickets, and a victory at Lord’s will give the visitors an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match rubber. This would extend their string of wins in the format in recent times, including the tri-series triumph involving Sri Lanka and South Africa in May.

The games against England carry added significance as they serve as vital preparation for the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, which India will host later this year.

With several players delivering standout performances, competition for spots in the World Cup squad is heating up, but this problem of plenty is a happy headache for India coach Amol Muzumdar and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur.

The management has several options to choose from for certain roles. The depth and bench strength of the team has never been this good.

In the absence of pacers Renuka Singh Thakur and Pooja Vastrakar due to injures, the side preferred Kranti Goud over the slightly more experienced Arundhati Reddy. The 21-year-old newcomer showed her mettle with two big wickets in the opener while sharing the new ball with Amanjot Kaur, who is also a rookie.

Pratika Rawal has emerged as the preferred choice for Smriti Mandhana’s partner at the top of the order while Shafali Verma also remains in contention after her form in the T20 Internationals, the Women’s Premier League (WPL), and domestic cricket.

Harleen Deol is also in good nick and in the event Shafali returns to the playing XI in near future, Rawal could be pushed down to the number three slot.

However, in that case, it will be difficult to accommodate Deol in the line-up that also comprises Harmanpreet, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh.

Even the spin department has plenty of depth with the likes of left-arm spinner N Shree Charani joining the likes of Deepti, Sneha Rana and Radha Yadav.

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