Australia may start as favourites, but India travel to the Women’s T20 World Cup with as good a chance as anyone of ending the tournament holding the trophy. Captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, this is a side built for the demands of knockout cricket — deep in batting, varied in bowling, and brimming with match-winners.
A batting order with firepower
India’s top order mixes flair and authority. Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana anchors with class, the explosive Shafali Verma can take a game away inside the powerplay, and Jemimah Rodrigues and wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh provide gears through the middle and at the death. It is a line-up capable of posting big totals and chasing them down — exactly the flexibility T20 cricket rewards.
Spin to choke the middle overs
India’s strength in English conditions may be their spin. Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav and the rising Sree Charani give Harmanpreet control and wicket-taking options through the crucial middle phase, where matches are so often decided. Their warm-up win over West Indies — where Shreyanka Patil and Radha Yadav shared seven wickets — was a timely showcase.
Pace finds its feet
The seam attack has grown teeth too. Renuka Singh’s swing, allied to the pace of Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy, gives India new-ball threat and death-overs nous. A balanced attack that can take wickets in every phase is the hallmark of teams that go deep in World Cups.
The mental hurdle
The questions for India are not about talent but temperament. They have reached the latter stages before only to fall at the final hurdle, and shedding that knockout-stage scar tissue is the real test. A side this gifted needs to believe it can close out the biggest games — and a strong group stage would build exactly that conviction.
The bottom line
With a deep batting order, a smothering spin unit and improving pace, India arrive in England as legitimate contenders, not also-rans. If Harmanpreet’s team can finally marry their obvious ability with composure when it matters most, this could be the World Cup where India go all the way.
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