NZ-W vs IND-W: 5 players to watch out for
Indian women’s cricket team couldn’t have asked for better preparation for the upcoming World Cup which is to be played in New Zealand in March as the team gears up for 5-match ODI series against the Kiwis in Queenstown, New Zealand. The tour kicks off with a solitary T20I on February 9, 2022, followed by the ODI matches. The final match will be played on February 24 with the World Cup set to begin on March 4.
Let’s see who are the 5 Players to watch out for in NZ-W vs Ind-W ODIs:
1. Smriti Mandhana
With 2377 runs, Smriti Mandhana is the fourth-highest run-scorer for India in ODIs. She has struck four centuries and 19 fifties with an average of 41.70. She was India’s highest run-getter in their last ODI series in September in Australia with 124 runs in three matches. The batter was also the leading run-scorer on India’s last tour to New Zealand in 2019 when she had amassed 196 runs in three ODIs. Not only for India, but she also had the most runs from either side in the series.
2. Mithali Raj
Captain Mithali Raj is the highest run-scorer in the ODIs overall with 7391 runs in 220 matches. The experienced skipper has an average of 51.32 to go with seven hundred and 59 fifties. The veteran has also played the most number of ODIs (220). She is the first female cricketer to reach 7000 runs landmark in the ODIs.
3. Poonam Yadav
The leg-break bowler, Poonam Yadav was the highest wicket-taker in the 2019 series in New Zealand as she snared six wickets in three matches with an average of 18.50 and strike rate of 25.0. Her economy rate was 4.44 in that series which India won by a 2-1 margin. With 76 wickets, Poonam is the sixth player with the most ODI wickets for India.
4. Amy Satterthwaite
With 4298 runs in 133 ODIs, Amy Satterthwaite is the second-highest run-getter for the Kiwis. She has slammed seven tons and 24 fifties and has wealth of experience under her belt. She was the batter with second-most runs in the previous series with India in 2019 with 168 runs. She was also the Kiwi batter with the most runs against England last year when she scored 173 runs in five ODIs.
5. Lea Tahuhu
The right-arm pacer has taken 82 wickets in 75 matches and is joint-third with Sophie Devine for most wickets by New Zealand women in ODIs. Tahuhu also accounted for nine wickets in four matches with an average of 20.00 in the England series in 2021. She made her ODI debut in the year 2011 and has been amongst the wickets for the Kiwis since then. Her fast bowling will be crucial for Sophie Devine’s team in giving trouble to the Indian women in the series.
