India take on England in World Cup opener

Derby : A strong tune-up notwithstanding, India will have their task cut out when they lock horns with title contenders England in the opener of the ICC women’s World Cup here tomorrow.
India have had an impressive build-up to the 50-over showpiece, beating South Africa by eight wickets in the final of the Quadrangular series recently.
India will be captained by the experienced Mithali Raj, who recently became just the third player to lead in 100 ODIs. Mithali, whose first target is to make the semifinals, is coming off a record-breaking six successive half-centuries, and she would look to continue in same vein. The Quadrangular tournament also saw a record opening stand of 320 by Deepti Sharma and Poonam Raut against Ireland, the first partnership of more than 300 runs in women’s cricket. Smriti Mandhana has returned from injury to add to the side’s strengths, while Poonam and Mona Meshram have been doing well on their comebacks. Harmanpreet Kaur lends strength to both batting and bowling.
Considering the conditions in the UK, Mithali is aware that her team would need to be on toes. “The conditions there (South Africa) are completely different to what we are facing here in England. We can take a lot of confidence, but we need to start fresh again in the World Cup,” the skipper said.