India dropped Jemimah Rodrigues for their must-win World Cup clash vs England in Indore, bringing in pacer Renuka Singh. England won the toss and opted to bat, with Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Bell returning to the playing XI. A high-scoring game is expected.
India have made the bold decision of dropping Jemimah Rodrigues from the playing XI in the blockbuster clash against England at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. The middle order batter struggled to get going in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2025, scoring just 65 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 103.17. Previously, captain Harmanpreet Kaur noted that the team wonโt change their batting composition despite bowling struggles, but she was forced to after back-to-back defeats to South Africa and Australia.
Pacer Renuka Singh replaced Jemimah in the playing XI. Explaining the reason behind the move, Harmanpreet spoke about Renukaโs past success against England and added that even though India lost two consecutive games, the team have played some good cricket which gives them confidence for the England clash.
โJemi is not playing today and Renuka is playing. She has a great record against England and that was the biggest reason we wanted her back in the side. Even though we lost, we played really good cricket and that is something which will give us confidence,โ Harmanpreet said after the toss.
England win toss and elect to bat
England have won the toss and elected to bat first at Holkar Stadium. The conditions look tailor-made for the batters to succeed, as a high-scoring contest is expected. After winning the toss, skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt noted that it is a fresh surface and they want to capitalise on that. She also announced that Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Bell are back to the playing XI.
โWe would like to have a bat. We would like to most of the fresh pitch and hopefully get a big total on the board. I hope so (it is the best batting pitch) and the outfield will be lightning quick, we have to do a lot of work in the field to stop the ball getting away. We have got Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Bell coming back into the side. They are ready to go and excited to be back,โ Sciver-Brunt said.
India vs England squads
India Women (Playing XI): Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur
England Women (Playing XI): Amy Jones (wk), Tammy Beaumont, Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Sophia Dunkley, Emma Lamb, Alice Capsey, Charlotte Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Linsey Smith, Lauren Bell