Taunton [UK], June 2 (ANI): England Women won the toss and elected to field against India Women in the third T20I of the ongoing four-match series on Tuesday at The Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton.
The Women in Blue had started the series on a strong note, winning the opening match by 38 runs to take a 1-0 lead. However, the hosts bounced back in the second T20I, registering a 26-run victory to level the series 1-1 and set up a crucial third encounter.
With the series evenly poised, both sides will be aiming to take a decisive step forward in the fourth T20I following the conclusion of the Taunton fixture.
After winning the toss, England Women captain Charlotte Dean reflected on her side’s previous win in Bristol. Dean said the result provided a strong confidence boost for the side.
“We are going to bowl. (About the Bristol win) It was brilliant for us, a real confidence booster, backing up from Chelmsford, and hopefully we can do more of the same today and get the double win. We’ve made no changes. Yeah, same team. (Was there a temptation just to have a look?) I think so, but we want to win this series, and we feel like against India, this is our best side. (And the batting lineup will stay the same?) Yeah.”
After losing the toss, India Women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur said the team would have preferred to bat first. Harmanpreet said India will be looking to play with freedom and build a competitive total.
“Oh, well, we were thinking differently. We wanted to bat only because it’s an important match and we just thought that if we can bat freely and put a decent total on the board, that can help us with the thing. (Is there anything you’d like to tidy up a little bit from that game?) I think it’s only about just keep trusting yourself and just keep believing in your skills and keep doing what the team requires,” Harmanpreet said.
“I think that’s what we discussed in the team meeting, just stay positive and keep doing as the team requires. (A nice opportunity here with the series on the line) Yeah, definitely. It’s a good series to prep before the T20 World Cup, and we are having fun, and hopefully this series will give a lot of confidence to head into the World Cup. (Any changes for you?) Yes, we do have one change – Kranti is back in the side in place of Shreyanka,” she added.
Teams:
India Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh(w), Deepti Sharma, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Nandni Sharma.
England Women (Playing XI): Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Amy Jones(w), Alice Capsey, Heather Knight, Freya Kemp, Danielle Gibson, Charlotte Dean(c), Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell. (ANI)
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