Not just another game as England, India go head to head
Overview
England v India
Semi-final 2, ICC Women’s World T20 2018
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua
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India say they have put the disappointment of their nine-run defeat in the World Cup final behind them and will approach their semi-final against England as just another game. But it isn’t just another game.
They are very aware that of the four semi-finalists, they are the only ones without any silverware in their history, and it’s something they are backing themselves to change.
The main difference between this team and the one that played at Lord’s is, apart from the personnel and captain, the attitude.
ENG v IND: India's road to the semis
“We have better plans and we can think bigger,” said Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain, on the eve of the clash. “The self-belief [is different]. I can give credit to Ramesh [Powar, the coach], because from the time he joined our team, our mindset and approach has totally changed.”
Nobody knows better about how a mindset change can change fortunes than England, who benefitted from that last year. And if both batting sides bring the fearlessness to the middle, it should be fireworks for the crowd.
ENG v IND: England's road to the semis
Despite England’s lack of big scores this tournament, India should be wary of the opposition’s top order. “Danni Wyatt has got good memories of playing against India,” agreed Mark Robinson, the England coach, referring to the opening batter’s T20I hundred against the team earlier this year. “And she'll carry that confidence into tomorrow, hopefully.”
But none of the batters will have it easy, given the slower bowlers in both teams. Through the tournament, both sides have identified spin as the main weapon for these conditions – and have been proven right for the most part.
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“[India] have been very effective taking pace off the ball. So we'll also look to that and how we're going to go about playing it and how we are going to have our method to score runs,” said Heather Knight, the England captain. The team have already worked to emulate Poonam Yadav's height and bowling to help them prepare for India's wicket-taker.
England will have a few choices to make about their bowling. The moisture in St Lucia did bring the pacers into play, and both Nat Sciver and Anya Shrubsole have been excellent, but Antigua is expected to have more for the slower bowlers.
They brought Danielle Hazell into the XI to give her some match-time, but, Robinson admitted, “match readiness” for the support bowlers in the 15 was a concern.
At this stage of a tournament, a lot is psychological. England might be the slightly more relaxed side. They enjoyed the beaches in St Lucia and organised a “bad shirt night” once they were in Antigua (“Me and Mark were in the top four,” revealed Knight). Most importantly, they’ve had some friends and family travelling with them, and the cheering squad has kept them in good spirits.
“Everybody knows the magnitude of the game,” added Robinson. “It's just trying to keep things as simple as normal because a team that will deliver the simple things the best will probably win the match.”
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Key players
Danielle Wyatt (England): She’s the big-hitter in the England line-up, but hasn’t quite teed off in the World T20 yet, with scores of 0, 27 and 1. What better time than now, in the semi-final, against the team she scored one of her two T20I centuries.
Harmanpreet Kaur (India): One of the big three in the Indian batting order, Kaur is in exceptional form, and no one would have forgotten what she did when she was in the semi-final of a global tournament the last time – 171* against Australia in the 2017 World Cup. An encore will suit India just fine.
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Conditions
It’s Antigua, there is rain in the air but locals aren’t too worried about it. It should be pleasant out in the middle during the game, and while the grounds are big, run-scoring shouldn’t be too tough, even though spinners should have a major say in how things pan out.
Squads
England: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Tash Farrant, Kirstie Gordon, Jenny Gunn, Danni Hazell, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Linsey Smith, Lauren Winfield, Danni Wyatt.
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Tanya Bhatia, Ekta Bisht, Dayalan Hemalatha, Mansi Joshi, Veda Krishnamurthy, Smriti Mandhana, Anuja Patil, Mithali Raj, Arundathi Reddy, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav.