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London, July 22: History beckons the Indian women's cricket team when it takes on England in the ICC Women's World Cup final here on Sunday (July 23), aiming to cap a fairytale run with a maiden title triumph and put some past demons to rest.
The Mithali Raj-led squad has been living a dream so far in the tournament, the biggest moment of which has been the 36-run win over six-time champions Australia in the semifinals.
The side will look to ensure that its gritty campaign reaches the logical conclusion after putting in the hard yards consistently in the tournament.
India's best performance in the event has been a runners-up finish in the 2005 edition, where the team had lost to Australia in the final.
It was at this historic Lord's cricket ground, where the men's team took its game-changing world title in 1983 with an upset win over the invincible West Indies and gradually grew into a cricketing and financial powerhouse in the world.
A win on Sunday has the potential to do the same for women's cricket in India. It is only the second time that India will have a shot at the world title. Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj were part of the runners-up team in 2005 and this could be their last chance to be a World Cup winner.
"For me and Jhulan (Goswami) it is very special because we are the only players from 2005 still with the team and for us it feels like going back to 2005," Raj said.
"We are all very excited to be part of the World Cup final. We knew this tournament wasn't going to be easy but the way the girls have turned up at every situation when the team needed," she added.
If India win, they will become only the fourth team to do so with England, Australia and New Zealand sharing all the preceding titles. En route the summit clash, it has been a team performance for India and Raj has led from the front.
With 392 runs she is the second-highest run-getter behind Australia's Ellyse Perry (404). Smriti Mandhana began the fireworks at the top in the beginning of the tournament and Harmanpreet Kaur took it to a different level with her incredible power-packed 171 against Australia in the semifinals.
The left-handed Mandhana, who turned 21 last Tuesday, has faded after the first two knocks and her form would be crucial for India to make a flying start.
The Mumbai-player had come up with a crucial 90 in India's 35-run win over England in the league stage and she would look for an encore. Raj has been consistent, lending stability in the middle overs.
Jhulan Goswami and Rajeshwari Gayakwad have been able to contain the rival batters. India's fortunes will also depend on their performance.
England, after losing to India in the tournament-opener, have regrouped well, peaking at the right time. And It will not be easy for India to replicate the show.
Squads:
India: Mithali Raj (Capt), Harmanpreet Kaur, Veda Krishnamurthy, Mona Meshram, Punam Raut, Deepti Sharma, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Ekta Bisht, Sushma Verma, Mansi Joshi, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav, Nuzhat Parween and Smriti Mandhana.
England: Heather Knight(Capt), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Georgia Elwiss, Jenny Gunn, Alex Hartley, Danielle Hazell, Beth Langston, Laura Marsh, Anya Shrubsole, Natalie Sciver, Sarah Taylor, Fran Wilson, Danielle Wyatt and Lauren Winfield.
Match starts: 3 PM IST; Live on: Star Sports, HotStar
PTI
