India at the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024: A study of dreams and conviction in the same breath

A glistening chapter of Indian women’s cricket is all set to take centerstage as the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 commences today, in the UAE.

Ahead of India’s first match of the World Cup campaign against New Zealand tomorrow, here’s a quick look at how the squad looks for the upcoming biennial extravaganza, including an analysis of their strengths, weaknesses and areas of concern - apart from few players who could be the gamechangers for the Women in Blue.

Strengths:

India’s bedecked top-order: With Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma opening the innings, there is an element of balance. Apart from her international appearances, Verma’s opening partnerships with Meg Lanning at the Capitals has given her a new dimension of hard-hitting. Mandhana, in the recent past, has done well to blend her signature calm to an explosive frenzy of relentless aggression with the bat, and the Indian vice-captain can flip the tide around even before one would blink.

A power-packed middle-order: The trio of the Indian captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh can put any bowling attack to the sword on their given day, and while despite being the beeswax of the No.3 position, the names that can be the possible contenders for the particular position packs a powerful punch.

A seasoned bowling attack: With the likes of Pooja Vastrakar and Deepti Sharma joining forces, the sheer gentry that they bring in with the ball is a class apart. India’s spin department is another major talk of the town this year with the likes of Asha Sobhana, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav and Deepti Sharma having performed exceptionally well in the recent past. With Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar managing the pace department, expect India to put up a formidable show, especially considering their form in the shorter formats of the game and in the global tournaments.

Questions to work on?

The No.3 position for the Indian women’s team still has a few questions lingering over it. The experiment with Uma Chetry and Dayalan Hemalatha hasn’t exactly borne fruit. Even though Hemalatha is part of the Indian squad, chances are that Harmanpreet Kaur may walk out at No.3, given the Indian captain has played at that position in the two warm-up matches so far.

X-Factor:

The presence of Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma can be a damning verdict for the other teams in the tournament. Ghosh’s intensity laced with Sharma’s calm and experience is something that India will heavily bank upon. Ever since Amol Muzumdar took over the Indian side, the mindset and the body language of the Indian cricket team has changed completely and that itself can be another crucial factor in defining India’s T20 World Cup campaign in UAE.

Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2024:

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.

Travelling Reserves: Uma Chetry (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Saima Thakor