Time: March 6, 6:30 AM IST
Venue: Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
Pitch Report
19 wickets fell and 515 runs were scored in the opening game at the Bay Oval. There were two centurions, and five bowlers took two or more wickets. The pitch has all the ingredients for an exciting contest.
Teams
Probable XI for Pakistan: Muneeba Ali, Javeria Khan, Bismah Maroof (c), Omaima Sohail, Nida Dar, Aliya Riaz, Sidra Nawaz (wk), Fatima Sana, Diana Baig, Nashra Sandhu, Anam Amin
Probable XI for India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Mithali Raj (c), Deepti Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Jhulan Goswami, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav
Fantasy Tips
We have opted for a fantasy cricket team based on the recent performances, overall impact, and credit points.
Power Players
Mithali Raj was the highest run-scorer for India in the recently concluded series in New Zealand. She got starts in all five games, converting three of them in fifties. Against Pakistan, she averages a whopping 52 in 10 ODIs. In World Cups, she has scored 1,139 runs including 9 fifties and 2 hundreds.
Nida Dar’s all-round skills make her a favourite in the world of fantasy sports. She has scored two fifties and taken 5 wickets in her last 5 competitive games. In the only ODI she has played against India, she managed 68* runs and a wicket.
Deepti Sharma was India’s highest wicket-taker in the 2017 World Cup. Not to forget that her 188 against Ireland is the third-highest individual score in Women’s ODIs.
Javeria Khan, the highest run-scorer for Pakistan, looked in ominous touch in the warm-up games. It was her 44 off 62 at No. 4 that steadied the ship against Bangladesh, after being 3 down for 38. Against India, however, she is yet to dominate. She has scored a mere 28 runs in 4 games.
71 in the final ODI by Smriti Mandhana gave India the only win of the New Zealand tour. She complemented it with 66 in the warm-up against West Indies. Given Shafali Verma has been out of form, Mandhana’s composure is crucial at the top.
Smart Picks
Nashra Sandhu’s accuracy fetched her a three-wicket and four-wicket haul in the warm-ups. The wickets in New Zealand do not offer much turn, but Nashra’s ability to deceive the batters with her change-in-pace strategy makes her special. Her best bowling figures (4 for 26) came against India.
Jhulan Goswami is 4 wickets away from becoming the highest wicket-taker in World Cup. Her 36 wickets have come at an outstanding average of 20.
Harmanpreet Kaur followed her 171* against Australia in the semis with a fight fifty in the final of the 2017 World Cup. Her last two scores, after an ordinary start to the ongoing tour, read 104 and 63.
Bismah Maroof last played an ODI in 2019, just when the pandemic started. She was in great touch back then, having scored 213 runs in 5 matches. Overall, she has scored 2,602 runs and taken 44 wickets in 108 ODIs.
Fatima Sana’s 3 of 4 wickets against Bangladesh in the warm-up game were of the top-order batters. In her short career, she has already managed a four-wicket and five-wicket haul. She strikes every 26th delivery.
Match Preview
Pakistan have never won an ODI against India. We, however, witnessed what happened in the Men’s T20 World Cup last year. Never rule out any team based on their history.
Get ready for a feisty match and make your team on the fantasy cricket app today!