ENG-W v IND-W, 1st T20I: Match Preview, Key Players, Cricket Exchange Cricket Tips

England women vs India women [Image Credits- Twitter]

The 1st T20I of the three-match series between England Women and India Women will take place at the Riverside Ground at Chester-le-Street, Durham on Saturday, September 10.

This will be an important series for both sides as they look to build towards next years' T20 World Cup in South Africa.

Hosts England will look to start from scratch following a disastrous CWG 2022 campaign where they missed out on a medal after losing to India and New Zealand in the semi-final and the Bronze medal fixture respectively.The hosts will be without a number of senior players with skipper Heather Knight injured, senior pacer Katherine Brunt rested and star all-rounder Nat Sciver opting out due to 'emotional fatigue'.

However, their presence gives England an excellent opportunity to usher in a new era by building a core around the likes of Alice Capsey, Lauren Bell, Issy Wong and Freya Kemp under fledgling leader Amy Jones.

India, on the other hand, will look to build on the good work they did during their silver medal finish at CWG 2022 and at the same time learn from the mistakes they committed in the final against Australia.

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led unit has been bolstered with the addition of wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh.

Power-hitter Kiran Navgire has also earned her maiden call-up but it remains to be seen whether she will get a game given the fact that India's top-4 are locked. Renuka Singh Thakur will once again lead the seam attack while the spin trio of Deepti Sharma-Radha Yadav-Sneh Rana will hold the key in the middle-overs.

Match Details

• Venue: Riverside Ground, Chester-le-street, Durham
• Date & Time: 10th September at 11:30 PM IST
• Live Streaming: SonyLIV
• Pitch Conditions: The pitch at Riverside Ground is normally a belter, with true bounce aiding strokeplay. With the ground having not hosted much cricket in recent times, one can expect a high-scoring affair.

Key Players

Smriti Mandhana: The stylish southpaw smashed a match-winning 32-ball 61 in her last outing against England. She continued her form for the Southern Brave in the recent Hundred ball competition- 211 runs in 8 innings @ 30.14/151.79.  

With India's top-order stacked up with RHBs, Smriti will be the key against the threat of left-arm orthodox, Sophie Ecclestone

Harmanpreet Kaur: The Indian skipper is coming off a sensational knock in the Gold medal game against Australia.

Richa Ghosh: India missed Richa's finishing skills at the death at CWG. She could prove to be a game-changer for them in this series.

Amy Jones: The wicketkeeper-batter has been England's spearhead in T20Is this year- 177 runs in 9 innings at an average of 35.40 alongside a strike rate of 118.79.

Sophie Ecclestone: The left-arm orthodox has taken 11 wickets in 9 innings with a strike rate and economy rate of  18.90 and 6.30 this year. 

Given India's right-handers' dominated batting line-up, she could prove to be the game-changer.

Cricket Exchange Fantasy Tips

Wicket-Keeper: Amy Jones
Batters: Smriti Mandhana, Dani Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur
All-rounders: Alice Capsey, Deepti Sharma
Bowlers: Sophie Ecclestone, Renuka Singh, Lauren Bell

Captain: Smriti Mandhana
Vice-Captain: Sophie Ecclestone

Also Read: EN-W v IN-W, 1st T20I 2022: Match Preview, Key Players, Crex Exchange Cricket Tips