India Women will aim to get their quest for a maiden ICC title back on track when they face England in an eagerly anticipated ICC Women's Cricket World Cup India 2025 match on Sunday in Indore.
In a conversation
with JioStar, England Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, along with Heather Knight, Sophie Ecclestone, and Head Coach Charlotte Edwards, shared their thoughts on the upcoming clash.
Speaking to JioStar, England Captain Nat Sciver-Brunt reflected on the challenge of facing India's star duo - Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana.
"With Harmanpreet, if you put one plan in place for her batting, she can easily get into the zone where that doesn't really matter, whatever's coming down will go to the boundary anyway. We'll have to do a lot of thinking when we come up against her, because if she's in that zone, she's very difficult to stop. India vs England is always a great competitive match, and Captain versus Captain will be fun as well. Smriti, meanwhile, is such an elegant batter, very easy on the eye and a joy to watch when you're not playing against her. Every team has brilliant batters, and I think this tournament will be full of quality. Hopefully, we'll have some great matches, which will be exciting for world cricket. "
Heather Knight looked back on her long-standing on-field match-ups and friendships with Indian stars Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur.
"I remember playing against Smriti in her first ODI series. When I saw her playing, I thought, 'Wow, this girl is going to be quite good. ' Since then, I've admired how she's progressed as a batter and how she's always carried herself with such calmness. That calmness is something I also value as a cricketer, and I have a huge amount of respect for her. I've seen her grow as a leader as well. I played with her in England for Western Storm, in Hobart, and later at RCB under her captaincy in what was a really tough first WPL season for us. She found that year difficult, but I gained a lot of respect for how she came back stronger the next season and found her feet. Smriti is a proper rock star in India. Harman wears her heart on her sleeve. She brings passion, energy, and competitiveness. She's a captain I've respected for how she plays the game and takes people along with her. It's going to be a tough test against India; they're playing really well at the moment, and Harman will be key for the Indian team," she added.
India Women are in a bit of bother after consecutive defeats in the Women's World Cup. As they take on England on Sunday, a victory will be crucial as two points can take them closer to the semifinals.