India’s Mithali Raj won the toss and opted to bat against Bangladesh. India have had batting lapses in the tournament but the Mithali Raj-led side can afford no slip-ups when it takes on Bangladesh in a must-win Women’s World Cup fixture in Hamilton.

India have so far won two games and lost three, including back-to-back defeats against England and Australia.

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Speaking to media, Mithali said, “We’ll have a bat. The same wicket was used for the last game. It’s slow and there’s turn for spinners. We would like to use the wicket first and put up a good score.”

“It was a good game (against Australia). As a fielding unit, we couldn’t back our bowlers when it was required. The wicket will probably assist the spinners and we’d like our fielding unit to stand up. We’d like the batters to bat sensibly. We have just one change. Poonam Yadav comes in place of Meghna Singh,” she added.

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While the Indian women put up an improved batting performance in the previous game, Australia chased down a record 278.

If batting was a concern for India before the game, Australia chasing down a stiff target with ease has given the bowlers plenty to ponder over. Skipper Mithali also admitted that her side’s bowling attack failed to mount pressure on the opposition.

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India now find themselves in a tricky spot against Bangladesh, who have put up a commendable fight against their opponents. India need to win games against Bangladesh and South Africa to stay alive in the tournament.

Playing XIs

India Women: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Mithali Raj(c), Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh(w), Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Jhulan Goswami, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav.

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Bangladesh Women: Sharmin Akhter, Murshida Khatun, Fargana Hoque, Nigar Sultana(w/c), Rumana Ahmed, Ritu Moni, Lata Mondal, Salma Khatun, Nahida Akter, Fahima Khatun, Jahanara Alam.