India look to maintain unbeaten ODI record against Bangladesh with semi-finals on the line
- Match 22: India Women v Bangladesh Women
- Seddon Park, Hamilton
- Tuesday 22 March, 14:00 Local Time
The teams last met in a 50-over match back in February 2017, before the last Cricket World Cup, with India winning that game by nine wickets. And India in fact have a perfect record against their neighbours in ODI cricket, winning all four of their meetings in the format.
But this current Bangladesh side are a different proposition entirely, having already beaten Pakistan and gone close to winning against West Indies in New Zealand.
And the Tigers will also be able to take heart from their T20 success over India, with many of this crop of players involved when they beat India twice on their way to the Asia Cup title in 2018.
“We have more experience of playing T20 against India, and I would say that we have a good record against them in T20,” Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana said.
“After winning the Asia Cup in 2018, we have a different mood while playing against them. Basically, I think that we have a lot of experienced players in our team who have played them before.
“Since we played in Hamilton last time against Pakistan, we have an idea about the wicket. So, all in all, hopefully, since we have good playing experience on that wicket, I think we can do well in the match.”
For India this match is vital to the team’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the tournament. Defeat here would almost certainly consign Mithali Raj’s side to an exit at the group stage, whereas a victory, preferably by a big margin, would be a major fillip to the side’s hopes.
However, three defeats from their five matches so far means that India aren’t taking any opponent lightly, and Sneh Rana says the team are ready for what Bangladesh are going to throw at them.
"I have seen Bangladesh improving,” Rana said. “We are playing match by match, irrespective of who it is against – Bangladesh or any other team.
“We won’t take any match easy. As it’s a must-win game we will give our 100%.”
THE TEAMS
Bangladesh Squad: Nigar Sultana (c), Salma Khatun, Rumana Ahmed, Fargana Hoque, Jahanara Alam, Shamima Sultana, Fahima Khatun, Ritu Moni, Murshida Khatun, Nahida Akter, Sharmin Akhter, Lata Mondal, Sobhana Mostary, Fariha Trisna, Suraiya Azmin, Sanjida Akter Meghla
India Squad: Mithali Raj (c), Harmanpreet Kaur (vc), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Jhulan Goswami, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh Thakur, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav
KEY PLAYERS
Nigar Sultana – Much is expected of the Bangladesh captain with the bat and behind the stumps and it will come as no surprise to see the 24-year-old continue to shine in her remaining games at the tournament. Sultana has already scored an international century in 50-over cricket and has shown the ability to compete well with the best attacks in the world on previous occasions.
Jhulan Goswami – The veteran quick might be nudging closer to her 40th birthday, but Goswami still remains one of the most consistent seamers in women's cricket and her record in 50-over cricket supports this. Goswami picked up 10 wickets at the last ICC Women's Cricket World Cup in 2017 and remains one of the most feared bowlers in the game.
CWC22 DREAM11 FANTASY WATCH
Captaincy Pick – Harmanpreet Kaur
One of the leadership figures of the Indian team, Harmanpreet’s level is improving with age, and she’s a crucial part of the batting line-up. A wonderful 109 against West Indies has been the highlight of her tournament so far, but a fine 71 against New Zealand and a quality 57* against Australia showed that she is capable of scoring big runs against the best.
Must have – Smriti Mandhana
India’s opener is developing into one of the top batters in the game, averaging over 40 in both Test and ODI cricket. The 25-year-old got her tournament off to a typically classy start with a half-century against Pakistan, and a brilliant 123 against West Indies showed why she is one of the biggest stars at this World Cup.
THE VENUE
The picturesque Seddon Park plays host to this match, the last of the seven tournament fixtures held at the ground.
The grassy stadium in Hamilton will have been a familiar setting to fans of international cricket, with the ground having hosted an abundance of international matches since its first ODI - New Zealand's men against India back in 1981.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
All eight teams at the tournament are playing each other across seven rounds in a league format.
The top four teams in the standings after the conclusion of the Group Stage will qualify for the semi-finals, which will be held in the final week of March.
LATER FIXTURES
Bangladesh’s remaining tournament fixtures:
22 March v India
25 March v Australia
27 March v England
India’s remaining tournament fixtures:
22 March v Bangladesh
27 March v South Africa
