T20 world cup: Harmanpreet to lead tried and tested team

New Delhi, August 27

India named a tried and tested squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur, hoping the experienced bunch takes the team to an elusive ICC trophy. Star batter Smriti Mandhana has been named Kaur’s deputy and like always will be the key at the top of the order.

Indian squad

Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajana Sajeevan

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Hopefully, this time we will break that final barrier and go all the way — Harmanpreet Kaur, India Captain

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Barring Uma Chetry, all the squad members who were part of an unsuccessful Asia Cup campaign in July have been retained for the marquee event beginning in the UAE from October 3.

The competition was shifted to the UAE from Bangladesh following unrest in the South Asian nation owing to a students’ protest.

Spinner Shreyanka Patil and batter Yastika Bhatia have been included in the squad subject to fitness. Shreyanka fractured her finger during the Asia Cup while Bhatia is recovering from a knee injury.

Following the loss to Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final, Kaur will be under pressure to lead her team to the coveted title. The men were finally able to get the monkey off their back and win an ICC title after an 11-year gap. The women too would be expected to cross the finishing line on this occasion.

India will take on West Indies and South Africa in their two Women’s T20 World Cup warm-up fixtures in Dubai. India will take on West Indies on September 29 and South Africa on October 1.

Final barrier

Skipper Kaur remained optimistic that India can grab their maiden global title in the upcoming World Cup. “Whenever we play on this kind of stage, we always want to do well. We have always done well in the past as well, and hopefully, this time we will break that final barrier and go all the way,” Kaur said.

The 35-year-old did not read too much into the venue shift. “We have not played much cricket in the UAE. But the conditions in the UAE are going to be similar to Indian conditions. We will see how the conditions play out and try to adjust ourselves to the conditions as soon as possible,” she added.

She wanted the team to dish out a “positive” game in the World Cup. “As a team, we learn from our defeats and break those barriers that are pushing us back. Hopefully this time we can express ourselves in a more positive way in the World Cup,” she said.