India will look to clinch series

After starting the series with a nail-biting win, Mithali Raj’s India will be hoping to seal the three-match series by overcoming England in the second women’s ODI at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium at Jamtha on Monday.

Having followed up Friday’s one-wicket victory with an intense training session on Saturday in extreme heat, it didn’t come as a surprise that the Indian squad preferred to rest on Sunday. The England contingent, meanwhile, had a prolonged net session.

With Monday’s affair a must-win game for the visitors, it will be interesting to see if England risks Heather Knight for the crucial game. The captain for the tour has been sidelined for more than a week owing to a hamstring strain suffered during the tri-series in Mumbai.

Knight’s absence resulted in Anya Shrubsole marking her 50th ODI appearance by leading England in the 50-over format for the very first time. However, the World Cup star appeared to crumble under the additional burden as her penultimate over, which started with a no-ball, proved to be too costly for England.

Despite the tinge of green on the pitch, spinners will continue to be key for both sides. The opening game saw spin dominate all through the match and the scenario is unlikely to be any different come Monday. England will have to devise a way to deal with India’s tweakers, especially leggie Poonam Yadav whose flight deceived the top-order in the series-opener.

Telecast likely

Meanwhile, the fans may be able to watch the match on Star Sports after the first ODI was restricted only to the BCCI website. A BCCI spokesperson confirmed that “Monday’s match will be televised.” Even before the first ODI, the BCCI had been confident about the live telecast before it was blacked out.

The teams (from): India: Mithali Raj (capt.), Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-capt.), Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Dayalan Hemalatha, Veda Krishnamurthy, Devika Vaidya, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Ekta Bisht, Poonam Yadav, Sushma Verma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad.

England: Heather Knight (capt.), Tammy Beaumont, Kate Cross, Alice Davidson Richards, Sophie Ecclestone, Natasha Farrant, Katie George, Jenny Gunn, Alex Hartley, Danielle Hazell, Amy Ellen Jones, Anya Shrubsole, Bryony Smith, Natalie Sciver, Fran Wilson, Danielle Wyatt.