Team India – A force to be reckoned with in the ICC Women’s World Cup

A new challenge awaits Team India as they gear up for the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup. They will be kickstarting their campaign with a battle against Sri Lanka in a contest between the co-hosts.

In recent times, the Women in Blue have shown a lot of promise - whether it was against Australia in the three-match ODI series, despite a 2-1 defeat or in the warm-up games, where India managed to secure a fine win against New Zealand albeit a hefty defeat against England in the first one.

India boasts of a well-stacked top order with Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal leading the charge at the top. Harleen Deol's recent form may provide a glimmer of hope, and with Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues to follow, India packs a mean punch until number five.

Richa Ghosh has already proven before that if needed, she can switch gears in no time and propel the Women in Blue to a formidable position. Alongside Ghosh, Deepti Sharma completes the core of the Indian batting unit. With batting until number seven, the Women in Blue might max out their batting potential, hoping to put up a decent scoring front.

Amol Muzumdar might have a good option in Radha Yadav to bolster India’s spinning department while Amanjot Kaur has been impressive in recent times. Alongside Kaur’s bowling exploits she can also bat which adds another dimension to the overall Indian unit. Sneh Rana’s inclusion to the Indian squad bolsters the overall gentry of the team as her ability pick wickets at crucial junctures of the game coupled with her rollicking proclivity for some insane striking makes her a fine addition.

Kranti Goud did hog the limelight against Australia with quality bowling and has been a fine option in India’s pace department while she will have the quality of senior pacer Renuka Singh tin the powerplay with the new ball. With Arundhati Reddy copping a blow during the warm up games, India will be sweating on her fitness - but the talented youngster will be a good option for India with the ball.

Strengths:

India’s batting has been the key source of their emergence as a powerhouse in women’s cricket. With Smriti Mandhana at the helm followed by Pratika Rawal’s composed approach, India has got some fine batters in their echelons.

The availability of Deepti Sharma adds to the multi-dimensional talent that Muzumdar has at his behest. The overall squad relies on cohesion and a fine bonding while Harmanpreet Kaur’s aggressive stance as the skipper makes Team India a strong unit.

Areas to be concerned about:

India’s pace department has been brilliant and yet pretty mercurial in terms of consistency. The duo of Kranti Goud and Renuka Singh can combine well with a good mix of pace and drift but their consistency in recent times has hurt Team India badly.

Sree Charani can be a fine addition to India’s spin unit but her inexperience might just be a questionable factor. However, when one makes the cut for the national team, it comes with its own set of challenges and Sree Charani might have to be ready for a steep one.

X-Factors:

It goes without saying that Deepti Sharma can very well be the game-changer for Team India. Her recent form in all departments clubbed with her experience at the bigger stages makes her a brilliant pick and she might go on to lead India’s attack throughout the tournament.

Squad:

Uma Chetry, Harleen Deol, Richa Ghosh, Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma, Kranti Goud, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Shree Charani, Radha Yadav.