Women's World Cup Final: What to expect when India take on England on Sunday

India defeated England by 35 runs in the opening match of the World Cup. Following which, they defeated West Indies by seven wickets, Pakistan by a whopping 95 runs and Sri Lanka by 16 runs. India lost to South Africa by 115 runs, before losing to Australia by eight wickets.

The two losses put India in a knockout situation when they played New Zealand in spite of having started the tournament very well.

Throughout the tournament, India banked on individual performances such as centuries from Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, and a five-for by Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Thursday's Harmanpreet Kaur in the semi-final, to get them over the line.

Mithali Raj is the only Indian player to figure in the top 10 scorers' list. However, four Indian bowlers feature in the top fifteen wicket takers' list. The team has banked on its spinners who have been in turn supported by the slower Derby pitch. Before the semi-final, 24 out of the 33 wickets picked by Indian bowlers had been taken by spinners.

England lost their opening match against a spirited Indian team. But, they came back strongly to win by 107 runs (Duckworth/Lewis method) against Pakistan. They defeated Sri Lanka, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and then the West Indies in succession. They qualified for the semi-final in pole position. They defeated South Africa's 218 comfortably in the semi-final. India is the only team they have lost to.

England has four run scorers in the top 10 but have just one bowler in the top 15 wicket takers.

England and India have played 61 Women's One Day Internationals (WODIs) against each other. England has come on top 34 times in those encounters. India has won 25 and two ended in no result.

Here are the top five players who will matter the most in Sunday's game:

Mithali Raj

This could be the last World Cup for the Indian captain. She has led this side in more than 100 WODIs. Her immense experience will come handy. She recently became the highest run scorer in Women's international cricket and the 392 runs she has scored in this campaign have come more than handy. She is India's highest Indian run scorer across all formats in the women's category.

Harmanpreet Kaur

The 28-year-old had not made a great start in this World Cup. But, Thursday's unbeaten 171 in the semi-final is probably a sign of her peaking at the right time. Her ability to strike the cricket ball far and hard will come handy especially in the death overs.

Deepti Sharma

The 19-year-old all-rounder has picked 12 wickets in eight matches, making her the joint-third highest wicket taker. In WODI career that spans just 29 matches, she has already picked 40 wickets and an under-four economy. She has also scored 202 runs at crucial moments.

Heather Knight

The 26-year-old is not just England's second highest run scorer but is also their highest wicket taker. She has scored 363 runs and has picked eight wickets in six innings. Heather Knight's sets pace to the innings and can act as an anchor if needed.

Tammy Beaumont

The English wicketkeeper has scored 387 runs in the tournament making her the third highest run scorer. He has scored them at an average just above 48.

The 26-year-old right hander is a big-match-player. She scored of 148 against South Africa, 93 against New Zealand and 49 against Australia.

India had played their only World Cup final in 2005. England on the other hand has won the World Cup thrice, latest in 2009.

What to expect?

The gap between the top three teams in women's cricket (Australia, New Zealand and England) and rest of the teams has always been wide. However, Indian fans will feel better knowing that their team had beaten England in the opening game. The win against Australia has only added to their momentum. India's head-to-head win-loss record against England is not as bad as that the one against Australia.

Beating England in the final will be a tough task. But one cannot rule out the image of Mithali Raj with the World Cup trophy on the Lord's balcony.