Counting on home benefits

Mumbai, February 21

Harmanpreet Kaur’s injury-forced absence is likely to be felt but a confident Indian women’s cricket team will look to make the home advantage count when they square off against England in their three-match ODI series starting here tomorrow.

Fresh from a decent outing in New Zealand, where the team won the ODIs but were blanked (0-3) in the T20Is, the Indian team continues its ICC Championships engagements. The team has to hold on to its position in the top-4 of the world rankings till 2020 to get a direct qualification for the 2021 World Cup. All the three matches will be played at the Wankhede Stadium and India would be firm favourites. The Mithali Raj-led outfit had beaten England 2-1 the last time the visitors were here in 2018.

‘Focused on getting direct entry into 2021 World Cup’ 

The Indian women’s ODI team skipper Mithali Raj said the team is focused on avoiding the qualifiers ahead of the 2021 World Cup but reckoned it will be a major challenge facing World Cup champions England in the absence of the injured Harmanpreet Kaur. “It’s a very important series for us, being No. 3 right now in the points table. Points are at stake and I definitely want the team to get a direct entry into the next World Cup. It’s important to get as many points as possible from the series,” she said on the eve of the series. — PTI