World Cup Pressure Cooker: New Zealand Opts to Bowl in Must-Win India Clash

This fixture is a must-win game for both teams in the race to the semi-finals, as three teams (Australia, South Africa, and England) have already secured their spots in the final four, and one place is up for grabs.

India's campaign has been a rollercoaster. They began brightly with two convincing wins but have since slipped to three consecutive defeats.

As for New Zealand, the weather has been its most prominent opponent. Their last two matches, against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, were washed out in Colombo.

Kiwi skipper Sophie Devine said after winning the toss, "We are going to have a bowl first today. The surface won't change much and hopefully it can get better under lights, dew will also come in. We have been training exceptionally hard, and a couple of extra sessions won't change much. This is the moment all cricketers want to be playing, pressure game, playing India in India."

Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said, "Pitch is looking really good, and it is an excellent opportunity to put up a good total on the board. Jemi is in for Amanjot. We have been playing good cricket, but the result has not gone our way. We are getting starts but unfortunately we haven't made it big, today is an excellent opportunity to make it count for the team."

New Zealand Women (Playing XI): Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine(c), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze(w), Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson.

India Women (Playing XI): Pratika Rawal, Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh(w), Sneh Rana, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani, Renuka Singh Thakur.

- ANI