Veteran Indian pace bowler Jhulan Goswami stated that the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand will help the Indian team adjust to the windy conditions before the Women’s World Cup 2022. Goswami, who is the leading wicket-taker in ODIs, may be playing in her last ICC mega event as well.
However, the ODI series against New Zealand will start on February 11. The 18-member India squad, including three reserve players, is likely to leave for New Zealand on January 24.
“We are getting to play NZ before the World Cup, which is great preparation. It will help us get used to the conditions and weather,” Jhulan told PTI after being named Legends League Cricket ambassador. “It is very windy there and we as cricketers need some time to adjust to the conditions. We as bowlers find it tough to bowl against the wind initially.”
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She continued: “Those five games will allow us to get familiar with the pitches and the weather. All matches are going to be important. We have a squad of 18, if we want to rotate our players before the World Cup (that can be done in the ODI series). We have not played a lot of international cricket, of late. So we will get time to fix our errors before the big tournament.”
India last played against Australia in September-October. After that, eight Indian players took part in the Big Bash League while others played in the domestic One-day tournament and the Challenger Trophy as well. The World Cup, which got pushed one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is likely to be the final event for Jhulan Goswami and ODI and Test captain Mithali Raj. However, Team India will open their World Cup campaign against Pakistan on March 6.
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“Well, at this moment the World Cup is a priority. We have to go and play good cricket. That is the most important thing. Last four years we have been preparing for this and unfortunately, it was postponed. Now the focus is only on this. After World Cup we will see about something else. Now cases (COVID) are rising again worldwide. We are a bit scared about traveling too. When we reach NZ, we can’t make any excuses. We will be judged only on our performance. We are not thinking about any individual team since it is a World Cup. We have to do all well in matches and prepare for all teams,” Jhulan Goswami concluded.
