 "The match against India is like a quarter-final… Despite the pressure, the New Zealand captain said that Team India is a contender for victory")
India and New Zealand will clash in the Women’s World Cup on Thursday. This match has become a knockout affair. The winning team will continue their journey, while the losing team will be eliminated from the tournament. New Zealand captain Sophie Devine said she has no illusions that India are favorites despite the huge pressure in a match like the Women’s World Cup quarter-final but her team will try to control things to the best of their ability.
Thursday’s match between India and New Zealand (IND vs) will be crucial as a win will strengthen the hosts’ claim to a place in the semi-finals. New Zealand need to win their remaining two matches to make it to the last four. “To be honest, I can’t even imagine the pressure the Indian team is under,” Devine said on the eve of the match against India. I know that when we play in a home World Cup in front of our fans, the pressure to perform can be overwhelming at times.
Sophie Devine, ‘I can’t even imagine how a billion people must be feeling watching on TV screens and the expectations and burdens that will be on their shoulders.’ “I really sympathize with them, as they have to deal with all this while performing well on the field. We are under no illusion that India are still favourites. We would love to enter such matches with the tag of ‘underdogs’.”
Devine said New Zealand will try to ignore external noise, including the rain forecast, to challenge India. “We know how much pressure India is under at home, but we will go on the field and control what we can,” he said. “We will make sure we stick to what we do best as a team. It’s almost like a quarter-final, and we’re really looking forward to that pressure.”
“I didn’t see many rain clouds, but when India came to practice last night it rained. It’s one of those things you can’t control. We have to move on,” said Sophie Devine. We’ve done it as a team and we know exactly where our path takes us and what we need to do to get there.