Bates and Plimmer are at the crease. Bates is on strike. Vastrakar will open the attack
Vastrakar to start, one slip in place
Vishal: "Absolutely surprised by NZ Decision to bat considering how potent the dew is in Dubai, or do they have any trick up their sleeve?" --- Nasser Hussain mentioned on air that the groundstaff think the dew won't set in tonight because of the breeze
The players and officials lineup for the national anthems. New Zealand followed by India.
Pitch report: "It has cooled down slightly, breeze flowing across the ground might mean dew might not come in. 63m and 53m square boundaries, 73m down the ground. This is firm, lot of live grass. Should be moderate pace and bounce. There could be some spin later but if there's dew, that probably won't happen as well" suggest Nasser Hussain and WV Raman.
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
Harmanpreet Kaur | IND Captain: We just want to go out there and play good cricket. All the players back themselves. It's the best team and the best team we have in this format. We have a balanced side. We have a long batting line-up as well. It's all about going out there and enjoying ourselves.
New Zealand Women have won the toss and have opted to bat
Sophie Devine | NZ Captain: We're going to bat first. I've been really happy about the way the team's gone about it's business. Results haven't gone our way but we're always learnig. Looking to put our best foot forward in this one. It's going to be slower, there's still runs in it. Still opportunity to be attacking.
New Zealand Women have won the toss and have opted to bat
New Zealand is a side that is rich on experience, but they always seem to flounder under pressure, especially in the World events. Brushed aside by a dominant Australian side recently, the Kiwis will once again rely heavily on the experience of Suzie and Sophie. More with the bat, of course. Can they start on a winning note to kickstart their campaign on a high?
Close. Closer. Closest. That is India's relationship with World events. They have been on the receiving end of so many knock-out games in the last decade. With the emergence of WPL and the mix of youth and experience, a place in the knock-outs is the mandatory minimum Indian fans would expect, but can Harmanpreet's girls ace the pressure challenge come the crunch time? That is all for later. For starters, they need to put up a solid show and more importantly sort their best eleven. Let's see how they will respond to the Antipodean challenge.