After thrashing Pakistan by seven wickets in their inaugural match of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2023, India will look to build on their success and put up an even better bowling performance against West Indies in their second match of the tournament on Wednesday. Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, a vital cog in the Indian team’s plan, missed the game against Pakistan due to a finger injury but is likely to return to the team against the West Indies.
West Indies, led by Hayley Mathews, is coming from a loss against England in their first match and are desperate to register their first win in the tournament after losing 14 matches in a row! This is a crucial match for the West Indies, as a defeat would be enough to knock the 2016 champions out of the semi-final race.
In the first match against Pakistan, the Indian bowlers gave away 91 runs in the last 10 overs, and the team will be looking to rectify this issue. India has defeated West Indies twice in the recently concluded tri-series, and the bowlers are well-versed in the weaknesses of the West Indies batters. With Mandhana’s return to the team, India will be looking to capitalise on their previous successes and secure a win against the Caribbean.
The Newlands in Cape Town has always produced tracks that tend to benefit the bowlers more. The average 1st innings score is 149 in domestic T20 games, whereas the predicted powerplay score is expected to be between 30-40 runs. The playing strip is the same as used in the India-Pakistan match.
Troy Cooley, bowling coach of the Indian team said, “Happy to confirm that Mandhana is fit to play against the West Indies, Crucial Match Harman will lead the team.” India takes on West Indies in the second match of the T20 World Cup on Wednesday 15th February.