Jhulan Goswami not playing: The veteran Indian pacer has had to miss her first-ever World Cup match at the Hagley Oval today.
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Individual half-centuries by opening batters Smriti Mandhana (71) and Shafali Verma (53) and captain Mithali Raj (68) have played a crucial role in powering India to 274/7 in 50 overs in the last league match of the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 in Christchurch.
Facing South Africa in a must-win encounter, India thrived on the back of a brisk 91-run opening partnership between Mandhana and Verma. Needing to put on board a competitive total after Raj won the toss and opted to bat, vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur (48) contributed in the third powerplay as India search for an all-important fourth victory of the tournament.
With bowling figures of 8-0-38-2, South Africa pacer Masabata Klaas was the pick of their bowlers. While new-ball bowler Shabnim Ismail also contributed with a couple of wickets, the likes of Chloe Tryon and Ayabonga Khaka picked a wicket apiece.
Why is Jhulan Goswami not playing today’s Women’s World Cup match?
While India would be confident of defending this total in order to qualify for the semi-finals, they will have to do it without the services of veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami. Readers must note that Goswami was one of the two changes made to this Indian XI at the Hagley Oval today. The 39-year old player has missed this match due to a side strain.
What a game to not have Jhulan Goswami in the XI for!#CWC22 | #TeamIndia | #INDvSA
— Annesha Ghosh (@ghosh_annesha) March 27, 2022
“We’ll have a bat because yesterday’s game was played on the same track and spinners might get help later on. Also, it’s better to bat in the sun. It’s all about holding our nerves and being composed and play the best cricket to win as we understand its importance. We have two changes – Meghna Singh and Deepti Sharma come in for Jhulan Goswami and Poonam Yadav,” Raj had said at the toss.
In what is her fifth ODI World Cup, it is the first time that Goswami hasn’t featured in a match for India. Goswami, who represented India in 34 World Cup matches in a row until today, had become only the second player in women’s cricket to play 200 WODIs last week.
