DERBY: India captain Mithali Raj has warned England not to expect an easy contest when they come up against her side in the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday.

“As a team we are all very excited to be part of the final,” said Raj, reflecting on India reaching their first World Cup final since 2005.

“We knew that this tournament wasn’t going to be easy but the way the girls have turned up at every situation when the team needed, whether it was the batters or bowlers, this win has definitely changed the scenario in terms of how the girls will look up to the final.”

“It definitely isn’t going to be easy for England. But it will come down to how we perform on that day. We really have to work on our planning and strategy because England have also peaked after being defeated by us in the first game,” the Indian captain stated, referring to the opening fixture of the tournament where they beat England by 35 runs.

“They have performed well in the run up to the final, so playing a host in their own country is going to be a challenge. But saying that this unit is up for it.”

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2017