India coach sets challenge for players against New Zealand

Broadcast Details for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup

India coach Amol Muzumdar has challenged his team to finish the job and book a place in the semi-finals of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup when they take on New Zealand on Thursday.

The tournament hosts have lost their last three matches at the Women's World Cup and could face the prospect of missing out on the knockout stages if they don't defeat the White Ferns in a crucial encounter in Navi Mumbai.

Muzumdar knows his team have been below their best in recent contests at the World Cup and wants to see them rise to the occasion when they take on New Zealand at Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy.

"We accept that we were not able to finish it (in their last match against England) and we have had a very nice discussion about it with the team and hopefully going forward we can finish the job and finish games off," Muzumdar said.

"We always reiterate within the team that is it's important to start well, but it's even important to finish better.

"So, I think we've had that discussion and hopefully going forward we will."

India made the surprise call to leave specialist batter Jemimah Rodrigues out of their side for their most recent contest against England and Muzumdar admitted it was one of the hardest decisions he has ever had to make in his time in charge.

The India coach did suggest Rodrigues was a chance to return to the XI to take on the Kiwis, depending on the conditions the teams face.

"It was a tough call," Muzumdar said.

"She took it really, very, very nicely as what Jemi is all about. She's a fantastic within the group, a superb role model for everyone in the team. She took it really nicely and very sportingly and I appreciate that.

"And as I said earlier we go on a match by match basis. The conditions in Indore were different and the conditions here in Navi Mumbai are different.

"We'll have a good discussion in the evening and we'll make a fair call on what we want to do and maybe the combination will be different."

New Zealand need to defeat India to have any chance of reaching the semi-finals and experienced skipper Sophie Devine said her side will take plenty of confidence from their victory over the Asian side on their way to winning the ICC Women's T20 World Cup last year.

"We can get confidence from the fact that we've played them in pressure situations before at sort of knockout points of a tournament," Devine noted.

"But tomorrow's a new game, everyone starts on zero and I think for us it does.

And I know I keep repeating myself, but it is, it's just a real opportunity for us to go out there and can control what we can control because as soon as you get distracted by other things, I think your performance gets impacted. So, for us, it's what we can do best as a team."