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 host, beginning with the opening game on Saturday.
The ICC showpiece is almost a year away, but this series is a perfect stepping stone after India’s disappointing group stage exit in the last edition.
The rubber will give the Indian think-tank an inkling on the kind of players who could potentially make an impact here.
Apart from the return of explosive opener Shafali Verma, India has added some new names, such as Kranti Goud, Sree Charani, and Sayali Satghare, to its squad. Shafali, in all likelihood, will be paired with Smriti Mandhana at the top.
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 injuries.
The visiting side has lost both its practice matches — a 50-over and a T20 game — to the ECB Development Squad, and it will be up against a formidable team led by the talismanic Nat Sciver-Brunt.
The home side has several experienced stars in its 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 its premier batters like skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, Mandhana, Shafali, Jemimah Rodrigues and Richa Ghosh to be in their groove from the first match itself.
However, India will welcome some more runs from the lower order, which has recently 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.