New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS) Former India captain Anjum Chopra believes it will be very difficult for the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side to make one of the batters sit out of the crucial 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup clash against England, set to take place at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday.

With losses to South Africa and Australia in Visakhapatnam, hosts India are currently at fourth place in the points table with four points. They must win at least two of their next three league games against England, New Zealand and Bangladesh to have a chance at making the semifinals.

Anjum also feels that if one of the batters is sidelined, then seam-bowling all-rounder Arundhati Reddy could come into the playing eleven. “I’ll be surprised if they make a change and I’ll be more surprised if they don’t – so it’s like that. It’s because I understand, for them, it will be a very difficult call to make one of the batters sit out or miss the game.”

“Everyone has tried their best – the openers got a 155-run opening partnership against Australia, which was pretty much chanceless. Then your number three, Harleen Deol, played very good and crucial knocks in all three games. In fact, even in the game against Australia, she got onto the moving bus very quickly.”

“With Harman, Richa, and Jemi there, I mean, it will be a very difficult call. But as I say, I’ll be surprised if they make a change. At the same time, I’ll be very surprised if they don’t. So I will feel that Arundhati Reddy might just come in,” said Anjum in an exclusive conversation with IANS.

Meanwhile, England have to win over India, Australia and New Zealand to enter the semi-finals. Nat Sciver-Brunt led-side is yet to lose a game in the competition, and survived a major scare against Pakistan – being kept to 133/9 in 31 overs before rain ensured the game ended in a washout in Colombo.

“I guess they’ve played very basic cricket. That first game against South Africa, bowling them out for 69, just provided them the perfect start to a World Cup. For a team coming in with a lot of expectations, with the middle order not firing at their best, their bowlers got time to get acclimatized. Also, because that first game was such a good win for England, and that gave them a morale boost, time and everything to settle in.”

“From there on, how they’ve done well, again, look at the fact that it’s not been those 300 kind of runs that England has managed to get. It’s been a solid Nat Sciver-Brunt innings against Sri Lanka and a bailout by Heather Knight’s innings against Bangladesh. So they have their own challenges that they’re facing, but the results are going their way.”

“In terms of bowling, obviously, every team has more bowling options than India and they go in with that. But results have been going England’s way rather than the opposition’s way. That Bangladesh game I was there watching, and it was definitely the closest which I feel has been played out by England in recent years,” she added.

The Holkar Stadium has hosted two World Cup games so far, with Australia successfully defending 327 against England and South Africa chasing down 232 easily. Anjum signed off by saying the India-England game could be a run-fest for an expected sellout crowd.

“Over the years, it’s been a good batting surface. There have been some very good games hosted at the Holkar Stadium. India-England obviously promises to be another big game, so hopefully, a sellout, like it was almost a sellout in Vizag. I expect that it will be a run fest and should be one.”

“Now, nobody has crossed 330 in terms of setting a target so far. In the India-England game, if India can manage to get 330 again or even 340, then I’m pretty hopeful that it should be India’s game. But having said that, England have Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight in that lineup.”

“I think Nat Sciver-Brunt is a big match player. She’s a modern-day GOAT, and legend. I think, again, one can’t take anything for granted. I mean, it’s a World Cup, but I do feel it should be a high-scoring game.”

–IANS

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