The 24th match of the ongoing Women's ODI World Cup will see struggling India face New Zealand on Thursday in Navi Mumbai. The pressure is growing on India with the semi-final spot at risk. No team feels the pressure more right now than India. With three straight losses in games they could have easily won, India find themselves at a critical juncture. One major problem with India has been their inconsistent playing XI, as they’re still searching for their best XI, experimenting with combinations that haven't quite clicked yet. Currently, one win is all that stands between them and a semi-final spot. They will aim to prevail against New Zealand to seal their semi-final spot. 

New Zealand, on the other side, has quietly had one of the more turbulent campaigns this World Cup. Two of their last matches were washed out by rain, leaving them with no room for error. For them, the equation is simple - beat both India and England, or start planning for home.

Their path to this must-win situation was paved with early setbacks; crushing defeats to Australia and South Africa exposed both their brittle batting order and their lack of consistency in the bowling department. They managed to halt the losing streak with a morale-boosting win over Bangladesh, but the cracks remain. Their batting has largely leaned heavily on veteran Sophie Devine, whose power at the top order has helped New Zealand. As of now, for them, it’s about survival. 

Head-to-head

Matches - 57

IND-W won - 22

NEW-W won - 34

Tied - 1

India possible XI: Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh/Jemimah Rodrigues, Kranti Gaud, Shree Charani

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