India tour of New Zealand: World Cup in sight, as Harmanpreet and Co take on hosts in solitary T20I

The final stretch is upon us. After much waiting, nearly five years after their dream run to the final at Lord’s in 2017, there is another World Cup on the horizon for Mithali Raj and Co. But before things get into 50-over mode, there is a solitary T20I to be played as part of India’s bilateral series in New Zealand, the venue for the upcoming marquee event.

Indeed, there is no better preparation for a World Cup than getting international match-time against their names in the country where it is being held. And that will likely be the focus as the Indian think-tank look to fine tune their preparations in a six-game limited overs series against World Cup hosts New Zealand, beginning with the one off T20 in Queenstown on Wednesday.

The one-off T20 is scheduled ahead of the five ODIs starting February 12. India will likely be approaching the 20-over game to get used to the conditions with the bigger goal for World Cup in mind.

Fixture wise, all six matches have been moved to the scenic Queenstown, to mitigate Covid-19 threat due to travel. The Indian squad arrived here after completing a 10-day quarantine in Christchurch.

ODI skipper Mithali Raj, who won’t be playing the T20, said on Tuesday these matches will be used to figure out their core players who will feature in the ICC event in March-April.

“It is a different format. The team will be looking forward to winning the game. Having said that, this T20 will also give a fair idea about the wickets, how the players are coping with an open ground,” Raj said in a virtual media interaction referring to the windy conditions.

One of the important off-field developments that Mithali confirmed on Tuesday that a sports psychologist is present on the tour with the Indian team. Mughda Bavare is the sports psychologist travelling with the team, PTI reported.

“I think every individual has their own way of absorbing pressure, coming out and playing their best cricket,” Mithali said, adding that: “Having a sports psychologist traveling with the team this time around helps. She has one-on-one sessions with the players to give them more time to understand how to deal with their pressures and find ways that they can absorb and play their best cricket.”

While Mithali said that she has her own methods of handling extending periods in isolation and bubbles, she said these sessions will help everyone.

“It does help to have a one-on-one session with them because you see things in a very different perspective and that clearly helps you understand your own self to find your own ways,” she added.

Eyes on World Cup

T20 skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who bounced back into serious form with the bat with a successful Women’s Big Bash League, will look to lead from the front on Wednesday.

Though workload management has gained significance in COVID times, Mithali made it clear that it will be a secondary issue for them in the six games as it is important for fast bowlers to get used to the conditions.

“It will take them at least two or three games to get used to the conditions,” she said. “We are here to use this series as preparation for the World Cup because it is the best way we get to know about the wickets and composition we will have next month. We want to put in the our best standard of cricket so the team derives a lot of confidence when get into the World Cup.”

At this point, game-time is paramount.

“We play to win but I look forward to giving some game time to the core players. It is important they find their rhythm before the World Cup,” Mithali added.

New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine also stressed on testing out a few players in the series against India. The White Ferns have not had the best of recent form in international cricket but the talent in their ranks is undeniable and their familiarity with conditions will mean they are one of the hopefuls.

On the eve of the game, Devine called India the “sleeping giants” of women’s cricket and said playing them will be an ideal preparation for the ICC showpiece.

“It is an interesting one (how to approach the series). It is about getting that balance right, the results are important but building momentum into the World Cup is going to extremely important. We also know this is an opportunity to test people out in different positions. Whether the results go our way or not we want to play the style we want to play. We want to be attacking and play to our strengths.”

New Zealand were comprehensively beaten at home in April last year by Australia in both formats, while their recent visit to England as well did not bear any series wins.

The last time India were in New Zealand, they won the ODI series 2-1 but lost the T20Is 0-3.

The series will be played without spectators due to the COVID-19 threat.

Squads:

India squad for one-off T20I: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper), Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh Thakur, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, S. Meghna, Simran Dil Bahadur.

New Zealand (via PTI): Sophie Devine (captain), Amy Satterthwaite (vc), Suzie Bates, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Frankie Mackay, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu.

Match starts 5.30 am IST and will be live on Amazon Prime Video.

With reporting inputs from PTI.