Mithali Raj To Lead Team India In Third ODI Against England After Recovering From Neck Pain

Vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur had led the side in England's run chase in the second game after Mithali did not take the field after scoring her second successive half-century of the series.

India skipper Mithali Raj has recovered from the neck pain and will lead the team against England in the third and final game here on Saturday. Mithali had felt the pain during the second women's ODI against England.

Vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur had led the side in England's run chase in the second game after Mithali did not take the field after scoring her second successive half-century of the series.

"Captain @M_Raj03 has recovered and is training with the girls as we prepare for the 3rd WODI tomorrow here at New Road, Worcester," the BCCI tweeted with photos of Mithali training with the team.

Having already lost the series, India will be looking for a consolation win in the third ODI.

In the second ODI of the series, the bowlers raised the level of their game and performed better, but the team faced defeat due to poor batting performance. The fall of wickets at frequent intervals increases pressure on Mithali Raj, and adversely affects her batting performance. 

The biggest concern for the team is the shoddy batting of vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur, whose performance has not been consistent for the last 4 years. After a brilliant inning of 171 runs in the 2017 World Cup against Australia, she has scored half-centuries in only two matches. During this period, she got the opportunity to bat 22 times in 28 matches. 

The inability of players like Mithali, Jemima Rodrigues, Poonam Raut, Deepti Sharma, and Tania Bhatia to play big shots increases pressure on openers Smriti Mandhana and 17-year-old Shefali Verma. 

The teams are as follows-

India: Mithali Raj (Captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Poonam Raut, Harmanpreet Kaur (Vice Captain), Deepti Sharma, Tania Bhatia (WK), Sneh Rana, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Jemima Rodrigues, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar , Ekta Bisht, Radha Yadav, Poonam Yadav, Priya Poonia, Indrani Roy (wk). 

England: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Kate Cross, Nate Sciver, Sophia Dunkley, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Anya Shrubsole, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Amy Jones (wk), Freya Davies, Tash Farrant, Sarah Glenn, Maddy Villiers, Fran Wilson, Sarah Glenn, Emily Arlott.