What will India’s incredible win over Australia do to their self-belief in the final?

Chasing down 339 is special, that too in a crunch knockout game… It gives them confidence not only on getting into the final, but as individuals, as an Indian cricket team. It gives them a massive boost in playing their sport as well.

Until the semis, it was Harmanpreet Kaur’s 171* to beat the Aussies in the 2017 semis that fans spoke about. Has Jemimah Rodrigues’ 127* surpassed that?

You can’t say that knock was less special or more special. I don’t think one needs to rate either. It took a lot of effort from Harman and Deepti that day. It’s taken a lot of effort from Jemi, Harman, Deepti and others on this particular day. Eventually India won and that is why it’s special. It was a semi-final and against a very good and a quality bowling side.

Jemimah made her India debut in 2018, but do you think Jemi the star was born on Thursday?

I remember when she got picked for India, I think she made her debut first in T20 before ODIs. Her skill, temperament and ability has never been in doubt. With this kind of an innings, with the effort she has put in… It’s about putting it all together. She has seen the difficult side of it all and has come out victorious. This is just the start. I’m waiting for another quality knock from her to come through very soon on another good stage, big stage… But this will remain special.

How important will Harman be in the final?

Harman has been in good form. Her run-a-ball 70 against England and then 89 against Australia says a lot about her form. That partnership with Jemimah against Australia and with Smriti against England worked well. Her role will remain crucial in the final. But it’s about how an entire team will look to be a part of that important journey, that is going to be the important aspect in a final. We saw that against Australia.

India’s fielding and bowling has let them down in the World Cup…

The biggest difference India will have is that they will have the extra sixth bowler, and they will have the luxury of rotating them. Coming to how they can stop somebody, it’s not just one, but strengthening the bowling has just helped and it will be one of the big factors going into the contest.

Shafali Verma has made a comeback. How can her batting style boost India?

We know Shafali’s talent… It’s about how she absorbs the situation and comes out on top. She is an impact player and if she can make an impact with Smriti, then the start for India whether in putting up the runs on the board or chasing will obviously make a good positive difference.

This is South Africa’s first ODI World Cup final. Does it put more pressure on them or India as hosts?

Pressure will be there on both the teams because they want to win their first World Cup. It’s not pressure, I’ll say it’s the keenness to excel, India or South Africa.

India’s runners-up finish in 2017 saw a sea change in cricket. How can a World Cup win at home, a first ICC trophy, make an impact?

The game has already started seeing a shift in all positive ways. The kind of cricket we have witnessed in this World Cup, especially in the last week or so. With an Indian victory, that shift will get more eyeballs. The good work in terms of playing good cricket has come, especially from India and South Africa, and that consistency will be expected. I’m very happy seeing that in the women’s game.