The time has come for the Indian team to give it all they have, when they take on Australia in the semi-final of the ICC Women’s World Cup in Derby on Thursday.
A win in the semi-finals will massively boost India’s chances of winning the World Cup as they will face England in the final, whom the women in blue have already beaten in the tournament.
However, Australia will have the upper hand going into the semi-final as they beat India by 8 wickets during the league stage.
But you never know, India’s big players such as Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami may just come to the party and take the match away from the Australians.
Here’s a look at the five key players for India.
1. Mithali Raj
The Indian captain Mithali Raj will be key to the team’s chances in the semis. India will need a batter to play aggressively at the top of the order.
Raj is getting into the semi-final with a century in India’s last match against New Zealand. The 34-year-old, who is the fourth highest-scorer in the tournament so far with 356 runs, smashed 109 runs off 123 balls against the Kiwis.
The Rajasthan native will have to carry her momentum in the next match.
2. Punam Raut
With Smriti Mandhana suddenly striking poor form after the first two matches, a lot of pressure has fallen on the other opening batter, Punam Raut.
The 27-year-old hasn’t had the best of tournaments, but she certainly knows how to bat against the mighty Australians.
When all other batters failed to find their rhythm, it was Raut’s innings of 106 runs off 136 balls which helped India post a total of 226/7 in the league match against Australia.
3. Veda Krishnamurthy
Veda Krishnamurthy has found form at the most important juncture of the tournament. The 24-year-old middle order batter cracked 70 runs off 45 balls against New Zealand.
Krishnamurthy’s amazing innings propelled India to a daunting total of 265/7, which eventually helped India win by 186 runs.
In the league match against Australia, the main reason behind India’s loss was that they couldn’t find a way to get quick runs in the last 10 overs.
If Krishnamurthy gets on song, then her innings might just be the difference between the two sides.
4. Jhulan Goswami
After terrible games against England and West Indies, fast bowler Jhulan Goswami found herself among the wickets in the next four out of five matches.
One of India’s most experienced players has not yet set the stage on fire, but a big game like the semi-final may bring out the best of her abilities.
Goswami may have picked up just 5 wickets in the tournament, but has bowled at an excellent economy rate of 4.50.
Even if she doesn’t get early wickets, she will definitely put pressure on the batters by not letting them score too many runs.
5. Rajeshwari Gayakwad
The left-arm off-spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad was given her first opportunity in the match against New Zealand, and straight away she found herself in the thick of things.
After two big losses against South Africa and Australia, India needed at least one big individual performance each in the batting and bowling department.
The batting was taken care of by Mithali, Harmanpreet Kaur and Veda Krishnamurthy, but the bowling was led by Gayakwad.
In the space of 9 overs, the Kannadiga dismantled New Zealand’s middle and lower order, picking up figures of 5/15.
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