1st T20I: India women eye bright series with broader picture of World Cup in mind
India women will be keen to internalise the conditions and character of venues in England ahead of next year's World Cup here during the five-match T20I series against the hosts, beginning with the opening game on Saturday.
The ICC showpiece is almost a year away, but this series is a perfect stepping stone after their disappointing group stage exit from the last year's edition.
The management will try to draft in some initial ideas about the peculiar playing surfaces and the fickle weather pattern that jointly make playing cricket a unique experience in England.
The rubber might also give the think-tank an inkling on the kind of players who could potentially make an impact here.
The return of explosive opener Shafali Verma apart, India have added some new names such as Kranti Goud, Sree Charani and Sayali Satghare into their squad.
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Shafali, in all likelihood, will be paired with Smriti Mandhana at the pole position where Uma Chetry failed to impress as an opener in the few matches she played.
This is India's first T20 assignment of the year, and the return of off-spin all-rounder Sneh Rana and fast bowling all-rounder Amanjot Kaur will be keenly watched.
Rana is coming back to the side since February 2023, and her confidence has been boosted by a fruitful outing in this year's Women's Premier League (WPL).
However, India will miss the experience of pacers Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar, who are out of this series with respective injuries.
Therefore the team management will hope that the young names will step up, and they know the challenges of playing England at their home.
The visitors have lost both their practice matches - a 50-over and a T20 game - to the ECB Development Squad, and they will be up against a formidable team led by the talismanic Nat Sciver-Brunt.
The home side has several experienced stars in their ranks such as Amy Jones, Tammy Beaumont, Danny Wyatt-Hodge and Sophie Ecclestone.
Along with them, England will also field talented young players such as Issy Wong, Alice Capsey and Sophia Dunkley.
In that context, India will require their premier batters like skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, Mandhana, Shafali, Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh to be in their groove from the first match itself.
Harmanpreet might also have regained her confidence after guiding Mumbai Indians to their second WPL title earlier this year, contributing with the bat and as the skipper.
However, India will welcome some more runs from their batters lower down the order, who in the recent past have failed to shore up the team in some critical moments.
Teams (from):
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Shuchi Upadhyay, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare.
England: Nat Sciver-Brunt (C), Em Arlott, Tammy Beaumont (wk), Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Amy Jones (wk), Paige Scholfield, Linsey Smith, Danni Wyatt-Hodge, Issy Wong.
Match starts at 7 pm IST.
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