By Ian Omoro
The 12th match of the ongoing ICC Women's T20 World Cup will take place on Wednesday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium between the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian team and Sri Lanka. When these two rivals faced off in the Asia Cup final in July, Sri Lanka emerged victorious, and the island nation will be hoping for a repeat performance to maintain their hopes of advancing to the knockout stages.
Winning would not guarantee India a spot in the semifinals, they require more. Despite their six-wicket victory over Pakistan, they still need to improve their net run rate, which is still a pitiful -1.217. India did manage to bounce back from the crushing defeat to New Zealand in the first game, but they will have a difficult test in their next two matches.
India would find it difficult to improve their net run rate in their final group match in Sharjah, considering the form Australia has shown, first against Sri Lanka and then against the White Ferns. Smriti Mandhana, who has failed in their opening two games and has thus far found it difficult to establish herself, claimed that the pitches in the United Arab Emirates have not been batting friendly.
“It (NRR) was playing in our minds last match against Pakistan. But the conditions here in the UAE are quite different and scoring quicky is not as easy as it may seem,” Mandhana said in a press conference ahead of the clash against Sri Lanka.
"The first priority is to win the match and it's a balance between what is best for the team and what we can do in terms of NRR. I started off fine last game but I consumed dot balls later on, which was irritating for me,” she added.
After defeating Pakistan recently, India will feel more confident and eager to continue their winning streak before facing the defending champions, Australia, in the final group game.
Given that both Harshitha Samarawickrama and skipper Chamari Athapaththu have yet to score at the tournament, Sri Lanka would be eager for their top order to regain some form. India's spinners are probably going to be very important in this game.
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