The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has declared the 15-member Indian squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, where Harmanpreet Kaur will remain the captain of the team, with Smriti Mandhana acting as her deputy. This competition will be a turning point for the squad as they strive to establish themselves on the international scene.
Concerning the squad changes, India has only made one alteration from the team that competed in the Women’s Asia Cup last month. Wicketkeeper Yastika Bhatia has been brought in to replace Uma Chetry, but Bhatia’s addition is yet to be confirmed as she awaits fitness clearance. She got a minor injury in the T20I series against Bangladesh, which was the reason for her exclusion from the Asia Cup.
Mandhana, one of the key players, is likely to start the innings with Shafali Verma. The team has another top-order replacement in Dayalan Hemalatha, who took Yastika’s place during the Bangladesh series. The middle order is full of skilful players, such as Jemimah Rodrigues and all-rounder Deepti Sharma. Additionally, Richa Ghosh, the probable main wicketkeeper, is a major contributor to the batting line-up. If Bhatia is back in full swing, she can be a worthwhile backup for wicketkeeping.
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India’s bowling lineup is impressive with Renuka Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, and Deepti Sharma spearheading the attack. Other spin choices are Radha Yadav, Asha Sobhana, Sajana Sajeevan, and Shreyanka Patil, though her participation depends on her fitness. She had a finger injury during the Asia Cup, which led to her withdrawal from the tournament.
🚨 NEWS 🚨
Presenting #TeamIndia‘s squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 🙌 #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/KetQXVsVLX
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) August 27, 2024
India’s squad for the ICC Women’s 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.
*Subject to fitness clearance
Travelling Reserves: Uma Chetry (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Saima Thakor
Non-Travelling Reserves: Raghvi Bist, Priya Mishra
India will begin their journey in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 with New Zealand on October 4 in Dubai. After which they would encounter neighbours Pakistan on October 6. With 10 teams divided into two groups, the competition will arrange Dubai and Sharjah as the host cities, with 23 matches in total.
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India, before the official tournament, will polish their strategies through warm-up matches against West Indies on 29th September and South Africa on 1st October. The preparation will be crucial as they are targeting the glory in the UAE.
