India eyes medal, opts to bat first against England in semifinal

BIRMINGHAM: Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and elected to bat first against England in the semifinal of the cricket tournament at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on Saturday. Both teams are heading into the semis after huge wins in their last matches. England crushed New Zealand by seven wickets in their last match whereas India defeated Barbados by 100 runs in their final game. India finished at second in Group A while England had a top spot finish in Group B.

Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said at the toss, "We are going to bat first. It is a fresh track and it is going to remain the same throughout the game. Before the main game, everyone is performing. It is right time to perform for the team. Our bowlers are doing well. I am really happy with the way they are bowling." England skipper Nat Sciver said at the toss, "I was happy to bowl first anyway. We have been good in adapting. (On Hayley Jensen's swing bowling) It is a skill she's had for 3-4 years. We are on a roll, high on confidence, in our batting and bowling."

India Women (Playing XI): Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Taniya Bhatia(w), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Sneh Rana, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh England Women (Playing XI): Danielle Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley, Natalie Sciver(c), Amy Jones(w), Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Katherine Brunt, Sophie Ecclestone, Freya Kemp, Issy Wong, Sarah Glenn.