Eng v Ind: Eyes on T20 World Cup 2026 prep

Hindustan Times

5 hours ago

New Delhi: With the ICC Women's T20 World Cup less than a year away and set to be hosted in England, the five-match T20I series between England and India that begins on June 28 at Trent Bridge, arrives at a pivotal moment for both teams. The series offers a vital chance to test combinations, adapt to conditions and build momentum heading into a high-stakes year. Smriti Mandhana (right) and Harleen Deol . (@BCCIWomen)
For India, it marks the beginning of their 2025 T20I calendar. The team hasn't played a T20I since their home win over West Indies in December and 2024 overall proved a rollercoaster. Despite bilateral success, it was marked by a heartbreaking Asia Cup final loss and an early exit from the T20 World Cup. However, many players levelled up during the Women's Premier League (WPL) and that recent form could prove crucial.
Among the most anticipated returns is that of Shafali Verma who's likely to reclaim her spot at the top of the order after a strong domestic run and impressive WPL campaign for Delhi Capitals, having scored 304 runs in 9 matches. With the ODI World Cup also looming in September, this series could be a springboard for her selection into both formats despite the competition that exists in the 50-over format.
India's squad will also see new faces in left-arm spinner N Shree Charani and seam all-rounder Kranti Goud. Pacer Sayali Satghare, seam all-rounder Amanjot Kaura have also been recalled. Offspinner Sneh Rana also earned a recall thanks to her consistent WPL performances. She also impressed with 1/47 and 2/28 in the warm-up matches against ECB Women XI at Beckenham.
However, the absence of seasoned pacers Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar leaves the pace unit thin on experience. The responsibility now shifts to Satghare and Amanjot, supported by Arundhati Reddy, to anchor India's seam attack.
On the batting front, the top five remains settled and formidable. Smriti Mandhana, Shafali, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh provide a great balance of both stability and firepower. They will, however, be hoping for their all-rounders to step up with the bat as well. It will also be interesting to see whether the returning Harleen Deol and Yastika Bhatia also slot right back in.
England, meanwhile, are already deep in preparation mode for the home World Cup. Under the new leadership duo of Nat Sciver-Brunt and coach Charlotte Edwards, they made a dominant statement earlier this month by sweeping both white-ball series against the West Indies 3-0. But Edwards has her sights firmly set on India, acknowledging that there lies a tougher challenge ahead.
'We absolutely know that, in a couple of weeks' time at Trent Bridge, that's going to be tough. They're one of the best teams in the world, they've got some of the best players, so we're going to have to be right on it when we get to the 28th of June. But we've taken a lot of confidence from this and that's the most important thing. We can only play what's in front of us and we'll look to do that again when we play against India,' she had said after the West Indies series win.
The hosts welcome back world No. 1 T20I bowler Sophie Ecclestone, who rejoins the squad after a short break and missing the West Indies series. However, they'll be without former captain Heather Knight who is ruled out with a hamstring injury sustained during the West Indies series. She was England's leading run-scorer with 109 runs in 2 innings. Lauren Bell, meanwhile, was the leading wicket-taker with 7 wickets in 3 innings.