India meet Windies in do-or-die ICC Women's WC tie on Thursday

SYDNEY: Their morale sagging after the defeat against New Zealand, India will have to beat the West Indies in their do-or-die Super Six match here on Thursday to keep alive their faint chances of making the final of the ICC Women's World Cup.
Thanks to their five-wicket loss against the Kiwis on Tuesday, Jhulan Goswami and her teammates are standing on the threshold of exiting from the event and their chances of progressing to the March 22 final hinges not just on their performance, but also on their fortune.
Even though the Indians are still ahead of New Zealand on run rate, they would have to beat the West Indies and pray that New Zealand go down to Pakistan and England beat Australia in the remaining Super Six matches.
Jhulan did not hide her disappointment after the setback against New Zealand and was virtually in tears to see the team's final hopes lying shattered.
"We worked extremely hard for the World Cup but all has gone down the drain because of one bad performance. It is a devastating blow to all of us as the next World Cup will be after four years and who know who will be there by then," she said.
Indian batting has been inconsistent in the tournament so far with Mithali Raj shining initially and veteran left-hander Anjum Chopra regaining her touch later on.
Reema Malhotra's brisk half-century notwithstanding, the middle order looked brittle against the Kiwis on Tuesday while their bowling too has been far from menacing.
To add to the woes, the Indians cut a sorry figure in the field, spilling catches and making sloppy errors while fielding.
Mithali dropped Kate Pulford (71) early in her innings and the lapse proved costly as the Kiwi opener went on to slam a match-winning knock. The former India skipper also dropped Aimee Mason, while some of her teammates were evidently slow in the field and missed quite a few run out chances.
The West Indies, however, look like an easy meat for the Indians in Thursday's tie at Drummoyne Oval.
The West Indians are yet to register their first win in the Super Six stage where England pasted them by 146 runs before Pakistan tamed them by four wickets.
But for the West Indians, there is nothing at stake while India simply cannot afford to lose if they are to keep alive their theoretical chances of making the final.