Women's T20 WC: Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. jet off to England from Mumbai
Mumbai, May 23
The Indian women's team was spotted at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport as they jetted off to the United Kingdom for their tour of England, followed by the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, which will be hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board starting June 12.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squads earlier this month, on May 2, via a press conference at their headquarters here. The press meet was addressed by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, chief selector Amita Sharma and secretary Devajit Saikia. Before addressing the media, the women's selection committee held a meeting to finalise the squad, where Harmanpreet and head coach Amol Muzumdar were also present.
The Women in Blue will play three T20Is against England from May 28 to June 2, which will serve as a preparatory series for both teams ahead of the marquee event. Once all the teams assemble in the UK, they'll begin their preparations for the 12-team T20 World Cup by playing the warm-up fixtures, starting June 6.
Harmanpreet Kaur and Co are placed in a tough Group B alongside Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Netherlands.
India will play two warm-up games. They'll face the West Indies at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, before taking on hosts England at the County Ground in Derby. The reigning ODI champions will kick off their T20 World Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 14.
After their clash against Pakistan, India will face the Netherlands on June 17 at Headingley in Leeds. The team will then lock horns against South Africa and Bangladesh on June 21 and 25, respectively, at Old Trafford in Manchester. For their last group fixture, the Women in Blue will travel to London to face Australia on June 28 at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground.
India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Sree Charani, Shreyanka Patil, Bharti Fulmali, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Nandni Sharma and Radha Yadav
— IANS
Reader Comments
Happy to see the girls heading off. But I hope the preparation is adequate - the England series is crucial for acclimatization. Our batting lineup looks good but bowling might need improvement against powerhouses like Australia and South Africa in group stage. All the best, ladies! 💪
Tough group draw! Australia, SA, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Netherlands - no easy matches. Pata hai na, last time we lost to Australia in semis. Would love to see Harmanpreet leading from front and Smriti playing her natural game. The Lord's match against Australia on June 28 will be a cracker! 🔥
So excited for the World Cup! Special mention to the selectors for including young talent like Sree Charani and Shreyanka Patil - good to see fresh faces. But I feel we should have given chances to more domestic performers. Anyway, best of luck to the entire squad! 🇮🇳🏆
Good luck to the women's team! Pakistan match on June 14 will be massive - those matches always have extra pressure. Hope our middle order handles the swing in English conditions. Need to be careful against South Africa too - they've improved a lot. Let's go India! 🤞
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