Indian women's team eye World Cup glory

SYDNEY: The last time around they faltered at the final hurdle but this time the Indian women's cricket team is determined to go the distance when they begin their World Cup campaign with a match against Pakistan on March 7.
India, led by fast bowler Jhulan Goswami, have been clubbed with two-time champions England, Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Group B of the World Cup to be held in Australia.
Both England and India have 100 per cent winning record against the other two teams in the group.
The Indian team will be relying heavily on Jhulan and former skippers Mithali Raj and Anjum Chopra, who will be appearing in her fourth successive World Cup.
India will also hope to bury the ghosts of their disappointing trip Down Under last year when they were humiliated 0-5 by Australia in the One-day series. Goswami, who led the team in that forgettable tour, is the most experienced bowler in the team with 105 wickets from 93 matches.
Raj is undoubtedly the batting mainstay. She was not only India's main run-getter in South Africa four years ago along with Chopra, but is also the fifth most successful batter with 3,302 runs.
Raj had accumulated 199 runs in the previous World Cup in South Africa.
Raj was also the leading run-getter for India in their 0-4 series loss to England and the defeat to Australia last year. In England, Raj scored 231 runs at an average of 77 while in Australia, she made 138 runs.
The team will also expect some good efforts from vice-captain and pace-woman Amita Sharma and all-rounder Rumeli Dhar, who will appear in her second World Cup.
England, winner in 1973 and 1993 on home turf, will launch their campaign against Sri Lanka on the opening day of the tournament at Manuka Oval, Canberra. Charlotte Edwards's side will take on India on March 10, before concluding the group stage against Pakistan on March 12.
Pakistan, who will be led by Urooj Mumtaz, won the right to compete against the elite when it reached the final of the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier in Stellenbosch, South Africa last year.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka will be appearing in the World Cup for the fourth time with 32-year-old Hiruka Fernando all set to become her country's only cricketer to figure in all the events, an ICC release said.