JOIN USIndian eves might have gained the much-needed early momentum by winning the first one-dayer on Sunday but the Mithali-Raj led side will have to perform a lot better in the second ODI here at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday to maintain their lead in the five-match series.
The poor batting shows have troubled India in the past, often putting the onus on the bowlers to bail the team out of crisis. After scoring a 74 against England in August 2014, opener Smriti Mandhana has failed to fire and get India off to a good start. Smriti's partner Poonam Raut has been in out of the side and will need to regain her touch soon to help her side's batting unit.
Against a disciplined bowling of the visitors, India would want to post at least a competitive total and for that to happen, the middle-order has to chip in. Mithali and Harmanpreet Kaur, the two experienced players in the middle, have failed to convert their starts into meaningful innings.
New Zealand on the other hand would be keen to make amends for the defeat on Sunday and skipper Suzie Bates expressed her disappointment over the way they performed in the first match. "We have discussed our plans for the second ODI and we have applied them in our training. We are confident and we know we can play better," she said.
Bates said that the team's batting lacked intent in the first match and there could be changes in the combination going into Wednesday's game. "Our batswomen played with fear. That is not our brand of cricket and we want to get back to playing aggressive cricket. We are happy with our bowling. India will be tough in their home conditions but we back ourselves to win the match," she said.
With the crucial ICC Women’s Championship points at stake, both the teams would want to notch up a win and get closer to the direct qualification for the 2017 World Cup.