India are not just among the strongest teams for the Women’s T20 World Cup but the presence of youth exuberance also makes them the happiest team in the tournament as well, says flamboyant opener Smriti Mandhana. The Indian squad’s average age is under 23 now. Ahead of the first game against Australia on Friday, Mandhana joked that only debutants Thailand can give them a tough competition when it comes to having fun with their teammates.

“This group really knows how to have fun. It’s about making the young players feel comfortable and I’ve become one with them. We have a lot of dances, a lot of singing and a lot of things that happen,” Mandhana was quoted as saying by the ICC. “I think we’re the happiest team at the World Cup – although Thailand might give us some competition.”

The leader of the gang is Jemimah Rodrigues, who is known for making funny videos and is also known for her decent guitar playing skill. One would often see the players singing and dancing on the floor.

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“You can think of the vibe if you see the age of our team. With that kind of age group, there has to be fun and if there’s no fun there’s something wrong with the girls. It’s been like that for the last one or two years. I won’t say it wasn’t like that in the years before but since the teenagers have come, there is a different energy,” said the 23-year-old Smriti Mandhana.

“Young players come into it with fresh thinking, they don’t have anything behind them. They know nothing. They’re very different people to we were when we came into the side at 17. They are very fearless, they don’t have a lot of pressure on them,” Mandhana concluded.

The teenagers — Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma and new entrant Richa Ghosh need to pull up their shocks to do well in the tournament.