Indore, Oct 19 (IANS) India have brought in ace fast bowler Renuka Singh in place of middle-order batter Jemimah Rodrigues, as England won the toss and elected to bat first in a crucial 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup clash at the Holkar Stadium on Sunday.

Sunday’s clash is a crucial game for India, who have two wins from four games and can’t afford another slip-up as they resume their quest to enter semi-finals after a week’s break.

India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said Renuka’s ability to bowl the inswingers will come handy, given England’s batting struggled against the same type of bowling versus Pakistan in an abandoned fixture in Colombo. Renuka’s return gives India the six bowling combination, but Jemimah’s omission means they are a specialist batter short.

“We were looking to bowl first and glad to get that. Having an extra bowler is always a great option and that will give us confidence in the field. She (Renuka) has a great record against England and that was the biggest reason we wanted her back in the side.”

“Even though we lost, we played really good cricket in between and that is something which will give us confidence. Today is an important match and I want us to enjoy,” she said.

England, meanwhile, remain unbeaten so far in the tournament with three wins and a washout. A victory over India would all but confirm their place in the semi-finals, with Australia and South Africa previously booking their last four spots.

England have included Lauren Bell and Sophie Ecclestone into their playing eleven, after recovering from an illness and come in place of Em Arlott and Sarah Glenn.

“We would like to make the most of the fresh pitch and hopefully get a big total on the board. I hope so (it is the best batting pitch) and the outfield will be lightning quick, we have to do a lot of work in the field to stop the ball getting away. They (Sophie and Lauren) are ready to go and excited to be back.”

“We will be looking for some big partnerships today and work as a team out there. We have seen a lot of noise with the Indian fans, hopefully everyone’s eyes are on the game and ready to be moved in the field. We know we have three tough games left and hopefully we can get two points out of it,” she said.

The pitch at Holkar Stadium promises a run-fest, with former India skipper Mithali Raj describing it as a ‘very hard surface’ that’s been ‘rolled very well’. Having hosted two games already with an average score of 275 indicates favourable conditions for batters.

However, with a decent grass covering, Mithali felt seamers could find early assistance. “Expect a high-scoring game,” Mithali said, as she set the tone for a potentially thrilling contest.

Playing XIs

India: Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, and Renuka Singh Thakur

England: Amy Jones (wk), Tammy Beaumont, Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Sophia Dunkley, Emma Lamb, Alice Capsey, Charlotte Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, and Lauren Bell

–IANS

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