The veteran Indian fast bowler, Jhulan Goswami has opined that the BCCI will decide the fate of the India-Pakistan fixtures. However, she stressed on the importance of having the matches as ICC Women’s Championship points are at stake.
Ahead of the third ODI against England Jhulan said, “It will be decided by the BCCI. We do not know what will happen against Pakistan, but yes all the matches are important for us and we should try to play positive and good cricket in those matches.”
Earlier, the Indian skipper Mithali Raj had said that the series against England is of prime importance as they probably know they would not play against Pakistan. To escape the qualifiers ahead of the 50-over World Cup 2021, India aims to grab as many points in as many games.
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Mithali explained, “The last time, I remember that we were short of three points and that is why we had to play the qualifiers. It has always been on our minds that we probably would not play against Pakistan and that is why, whatever matches we play against whoever, we should play those keeping in mind that we need those points.”
Currently, the Indian team is standing at the second position on the ICC Women’s Championship table with 16 points from 14 games. Pakistan, on the other hand, is at fifth with 12 points from as many games.
Goswami was in brilliant form in the second ODI against England as shed scalped four wickets to restrict the visitors to a below-par total of 161 runs. Describing the same, she said, “I think since South Africa tour I have been bowling well. I bowled well in the series against England and Sri Lanka as well. Now, I am just enjoying my rhythm and I am trying to control the things as much as I can. As a senior player, I have a lot of responsibility and as you get older you need to stick to the plans.”
The bowling spearhead, who made her debut in 2002, is an inspiration for her pace partner Shikha Pandey. The pace duo became the first pair to pick up four-wicket hauls in an ODI.
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Goswami and Pandey took eight wickets in the second ODI against England. It was a rare occasion in which medium-pacers took eight wickets out of ten in an ODI match. Talking about the same, Jhulan said, “Hardly, you see on Indian soil, the medium-pacers take wickets because the wickets are different here. Shikha and I compliment each other really well and it paid off in the previous match.”
India, with an unassailable 2-0 lead, will take on England in the final ODI of the three-match series on February 28 at the Wankhede Stadium.
