Women’s WC: South Africa elect to bowl first in rain-delayed final against India

Navi Mumbai, Nov 2 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) South Africa’s captain Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and opted to bowl first against India in the final of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup at the DY Patil Sports Academy here on Sunday.

The toss was conducted a good two hours after its originally scheduled time, as the start of the match was delayed by rain that lashed the stadium since the afternoon. No overs have been lost.

Both teams decided to go into the final with unchanged playing XIs from their respective semifinals.

Wolvaardt said it looks like a nice wicket for chasing. The conditions are a little sticky at the start, and she hoped for their new-ball bowlers to find their lengths early. “A bit of rain around, so it just feels like a nice day to chase later with a bit of movement on offer. The surface looks pretty good, and hopefully we can get a bit of swing early on with the rain we’ve had over the last couple of hours. But yeah, looks like a really good wicket overall,” she said.

‘It’s a big game for them, said the South Africa captain, but added that the team is excited. “It’s a big day for us, but we’re just really excited about the opportunity. It’s very special playing in front of a crowd like this, so we’ll just look to enjoy every moment,” she added.

India captain Harmanpreet said she too would have bowled first, looking at the overhead conditions. She, however, felt that batting first could be good as they can bat freely. “We would’ve bowled first as well, given the weather and conditions. But yeah, it’s an important game, and somehow it feels like we’re back in rhythm. Hopefully, we can bat freely and put up a strong total on the board.

Though she admitted that the pitch looks a little sticky because of the rain, but does not expect there to be much in the surface because of the rain around and due to the ball getting wet. “The outfield is slightly damp too, but I think after five or six overs it should settle down nicely. We’ll try to do the same things again – play with intent, stay positive, and back our plans,” she said.

Both India and South Africa are going for a historic title triumph, having never won the title previously. India have a slight edge having played in the final twice (2005 and 2017) and will also be boosted by the support of the huge crowd. They have already played three matches at this venue, while South Africa are in Navi Mumbai for the first time this World Cup.

Playing XIs:

India: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh

South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Annerie Dercksen, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba

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