India will play New Zealand in their opening Group A encounter of the Women’s T20 World Cup on Friday, looking for a solid start to banish the memory of previous close calls. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who will most likely play in her final T20 World Cup, has seen countless close calls and disappointing moments from close quarters, notably the Blue Shirts’ defeat to Australia in the 2020 final in Melbourne.
As has been the case in the past, this Indian lineup is stacked with skill, and only Australia may have a more well-oiled outfit. But the incumbent champs have six crowns in their cabinet, whilst India’s is still dusty. IND attempted to address this during a preparatory camp at the NCA (National Cricket Academy), which included a few counseling sessions.
India’s Toughest Opponent
However, such external metrics can only be of limited use in large tournaments, as it all boils down to faultless execution of strategy on any given day. In that sense, India will not face a better opponent than New Zealand, which is not as well-known as its Trans-Tasman neighbor. However, the two-time runners-up are tough as nails.
To begin, Blue Shirts will need significant contributions from its top players, including the 35-year-old Harmanpreet, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, and Deepti Sharma. Shafali and Mandhana have been in terrific form, scoring runs in their most recent international appearance, the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in July, despite India’s loss to the hosts in the final.
Mandhana’s last five T20I innings have featured three fifties. Harmanpreet and Shafali, on the other hand, have failed to impress, and the duo’s ability to find range is key to IND’s top and middle-order push. It is essential to India’s chances since the pitches in the UAE, which are now experiencing a severe heat wave, may not be conducive to scoring runs, especially late in the competition.
India’s Spin Strength
The track’s expected weariness may, in one way, assist India’s bowling strength- spin. They only have three pacemakers on their roster: Renuka Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, and Arundhati Reddy. Blue Shirts will most likely just field two of them, leaning primarily on spinners in the lineup. India has an extraordinary variety in that field. Off-spinners Deepti and Shreyanka Patil will lead the attack, followed by leg-spinner Asha Shobhana and left-arm spinner Radha Yadav.
But the Kiwis have a wonderful mix of seasoned and young players who can help them overcome such challenges. Sophie Devine, experienced all-rounder Suzie Bates, and veteran pacers Lea Tahuhu and Leigh Kasperek form the backbone of this New Zealand squad. When you add the explosive young all-rounder Amelia Kerr to the mix, they can pull off a few surprises in this tournament. Beyond that, the Kiwis are a little green behind the ears, which could be their Achilles heel.
Bottom Line
Indian Women’s T20 World Cup squad includes: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia (depending on fitness), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil (subject to fitness), Sajana Sajeevan Travelling reserves include Uma Chetry (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, and Saima Thakor.
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