Despite India slipping to a demoralising defeat in the Asia Cup final to Sri Lanka, the selectors have resisted the temptation of making wholesale changes to the India squad for the upcoming World Cup to be held in the United Arab Emirates. In fact, 14 of the 15 players who were part of the set-up for the Asia Cup, have been retained. The only change is Yastika Bhatia replacing fellow wicketkeeper-bat Uma Chetry.
The one missing jigsaw in India’s batting line-up is perhaps the No. 3 slot. Dayalan Hemalatha was tried in that position over the last few months. However, barring a couple of 40s, with one of them coming against the lowly Nepal, Hemalatha wasn’t able to make that slot her own. So, Yastika, who is currently recuperating from a knee injury, could be used in that position in the World Cup.
The southpaw was in good touch in the WPL this year, accumulating 204 runs for Mumbai Indians. Or India can go back to the experienced Jemimah Rodrigues to fill that slot.
India would also be hoping for Harmanpreet, the skipper, to lead from the front in the mega event. In the Asia Cup, she did average 41 with the bat, but 65 of those runs came against the unfancied UAE side. For the time being, India largely depend on Smriti Mandhana to get the big scores.
On the positive side, the coaching staff would be chuffed with the form of Deepti Sharma in the recently concluded Hundred. The all-rounder didn’t just hit the winning runs for London Spirit in the final, but also notched up 212 runs at a strike rate of just over 132. Even in the WPL, Deepti was amongst the runs. It is a clear indicator that Deepti has ramped up her power game.
In the pace-bowling department, India seem to lack a bit of cutting edge, although Renuka Singh has done an effective job of spearheading the attack – 50 wickets at an average 22.02. In 2024, she has plucked her T20I wickets at an average of just over 24. Even though when she came up against Australia, earlier this year, she could only pick up one wicket over three matches.
The think-tank will look towards the spinners to make regular incisions. It has to be said here that as the World Cup is held in October, there could be some dew during the first-half of the tournament. As a result, the spinners could come under scrutiny. Among the spinners, Shreyanka Patil, who bowls quick through the air and still imparts enough revs on the ball, could be the trump card. Shreyanka has 16 wickets at an average of 18.75 in T20Is. Moreover, she bagged 13 scalps at 12.07 in the WPL. Asha Sobhana, who bagged a four-for in the series against South Africa, might turn out to be a bit of a surprise package.
One big question remains unanswered. Can India women win their maiden World Cup trophy? For that to happen, India need to prove that they can absorb pressure in big matches. Fielding, in particular, has let India down during crunch moments. Even in the Asia Cup final, India’s fielding left a lot to be desired.
On her part, Harmanpreet is eager to replicate the recent success of her male counterparts in the Caribbean. “We have been really inspired by the men’s team, the way they won the T20 World Cup this year. They worked really hard for this trophy and won some tough matches. We need to learn how they maintained their body language for such matches and how they approached such games.
“We’re on the same road now and getting ready for our World Cup campaign. The team is working really hard and our attempt will be to give our country and fans another opportunity to celebrate this year.”
India’s squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk)*, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil*, Sajana Sajeevan.