Indian skipper Mithali Raj sets target to reach the semis in Women's World Cup 2017

We’ve seen some breathtaking cricket being played in England since the beginning of July, all thanks to the Champions Trophy. Now in 3 days time, the powerhouses of women’s cricket will be in England trying to lay their hands on the coveted ICC Women’s World Cup, which currently is in the hands of the Aussies.

Indian women always managed to pull mediocre results in all the World Cups they’ve participated but this time around, they have the momentum they achieved in the quadrangular series in South Africa last month. Indian skipper Mithali Raj has admitted that this series has been brilliant in providing the momentum that’s needed.

The right-handed batter from Hyderabad has quoted that their side has set themselves a target of reaching the semifinals of this tournament. “Our first target will be to reach the semi-finals, but for that, you need to be able to play good cricket throughout the tournament and have good momentum,” said Mithali as quoted by ICC’s official website.

India defeated South Africa in the finals of the quadrangular series, which also saw the participation of Ireland Women and Zimbabwe Women. They were clinical in the final against the hosts and clinched a memorable win by 8 wickets, chasing down a target of 157.

Mithali quoted that this win was very important, but the conditions in South Africa are very different to that in England, where there’s great lateral movement up for the taking for fast bowlers.

“For me, the Quadrangular Series was fantastic — we played very convincingly and as a team, we performed really well. We’re looking to produce the same kind of performance over here.” opined Mithali. “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,” She added.

“Bowlers will have to bowl in the right areas”

She also had a word of advice for her bowlers and said the conditions would play a pivotal role in their team’s progress. She reckons if their bowlers bowl in the right channels, there will be some movement off the track and in the air for fast bowlers. The skipper also mentioned that if their players can acclimatize quickly, they can do much better and help the side propel.

“If you are able to bowl in the right areas, there should be a bit of movement off the wicket, and the weather might play a big role as well if you are able to adapt,” Mithali said.

Mithali will be representing India in her fourth ICC World Cup and she’s really looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead. “The World Cup is a big stage, and that’s four years of preparation. We’re looking forward to it, it’s going to be my fourth World Cup, so I’m looking forward to some good games,” She said.