India’s skipper Harmanpreet Kaur wants to “build” for the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup by providing the new members of the T20I squad with “as many opportunities as possible” to establish themselves on the big stage. The team has begun preparations for the competition. According to her, the selection process would ultimately include both their contributions off the field and their on-field performances.
Before the second Twenty20 International against England in Mumbai, Harmanpreet remarked, “Whichever player you play with, you will know how they can contribute to the team just by looking at their body language and the way they think about cricket.” We cannot always be certain about a player, just as there is never certainty in life. However, what matters most is how they advance each day and contribute to the team’s victory. All of that affects how many chances you wish to offer a player as well.
“There are a lot of young players on the team currently who have excelled in WPL and local cricket. Those who have performed well in T20s have been chosen. We wish to develop this group. There are a ton of matchups coming ahead. It is my goal as captain to develop this group. Additionally, the support personnel is now balanced. The head coach, Amol Muzumdar, has a wealth of coaching and playing experience. You realize that all you have to do is go outside and play once these issues have been resolved. I have a lot of faith and trust in myself as a captain. They are here because they are the greatest. They are the best right now, therefore I want to give them every chance I can. I want the best for them and the nation.”
For the T20Is series against England, all-arounder Shreyanka Patil and left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque—two of the standout performers in the inaugural WPL this year—have been called up for the first time, along with young players Titas Sadhu, Kanika Ahuja, and Mannat Kashyap. In the inaugural Twenty20 International, the hosts lost by 38 runs, and Patil and Ishaque made their debuts for India. They both had respectable performances. Patil took two wickets, and Ishaque got the on-form Danni Wyatt for seventy-five.
With eighteen wickets in nine matches, Ishaque, 28, finished the WPL tied for second place in terms of wicket-taking. She also led the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy in wicket-taking this season. Prior to the T20I series, 21-year-old Patil made an impression for India A by taking five wickets in three matches. In March, she also enjoyed a successful Women’s CPL season. Despite being the only Indian, she finished as the top wicket-taker with nine in five matches.
Harmanpreet made it apparent that the pair must take advantage of these chances to guarantee their places at the T20 World Cup, which will take place in Bangladesh in September and October of the following year. India will play a home complete series, comprising three Twenty20 Internationals, against Australia after the England series.
“The team which we have picked for this T20I [series] is the one we want to build for the upcoming World Cup,” she stated. “In the last game, Saika and Shreyanka performed incredibly well. They are quite self-assured, and we did get down with them following the game to talk about how they can perform at their best in the next games. All they need is possibilities, and they are abundant right now. They simply have to go forth and perform to the best of their abilities.”
In WPL 2023, Saika Ishaque showed great promise.
Impressive was Saika Ishaque in WPL 2023. •Getty Images
India lost heartbreakingly to Australia in a close match in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup this year. In the semi-finals of 2018 and the final of 2020, they also came near. Now a well-known player throughout the world—she was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Next and the BBC’s 100 Women this year—Harmanpreet is focused entirely on winning a World Cup for her native India.
“I want this team to grow in a way that everyone says that this is the best team,” she stated. “Winning a World Cup is a dream of mine, and I’m only working towards it. For that reason, I asked BCCI to select a youthful team. These are big games. We won’t get anything from England easily. Thus, we are exerting pressure on ourselves. We want to put a lot of effort into achieving that, and since I play a team sport, I don’t give any weight to my own accomplishments. I’m content if the team is performing well.
“Yet, when you’re not feeling well, you notice that people are comforting you by saying, ‘You’ve done this and that,’ to lift your spirits. My goal is to win a World Cup for my country and improve team performance, which are both very important to me. All I want is for us to stick together, develop as a team, and accomplish big things for our nation.”
India only included two quick bowlers in their XI for the opening Twenty20 International, while their pricey spinners bowled 12 overs. After nearly ten months away, fast bowler Renuka Singh made her comeback to the international scene, making an instant impression with figures of 3 for 27, while medium pacer Pooja Vastrakar amassed 44 runs in her four overs. The team’s other fast bowler, Sadhu, was absent due to illness. In order to give the team more balance, Harmanpreet stated that spin was one of India’s strong points and she had faith in her spinners to perform well. She also stated that Sadhu “should be ready” for the second game.
“A large number of our home spin bowlers are performing quite well. It’s something we’ve always been good at. Renuka is leading the pacers in performance, and Pooja is supporting her. Titas wasn’t feeling well at the same time. Second, I believe spinners are more self-assured and have consistently performed exceptionally well when given the chance. She had to be prepared for the upcoming game. We decided to use the spin assault for this reason.”
