Women T20 World Cup: In search of maiden title, India show trust in familiar core
They will be leading the T20 World Cup for the fifth time under Harmanpreet Kaur’s leadership and hope to put in a stronger performance than in the last event where they failed to progress to the second round. Since the last T20 World Cup, India have won 13 of 22 matches but their recent record is less flattering. They have won just three of eight T20Is in 2026; this includes the most recent 1-4 defeat against South Africa. India’s best performance was in 2020, when they lost to the home team in the final in Melbourne in front of a huge crowd.
“We couldn’t take any wickets in South Africa. We tried to strengthen the bowling,” chief selector Amita Sharma said while announcing the squad. “We had discussions with the captain and coach about the importance of taking early wickets.” Harmanpreet was of the view that not much should be commented on the last series played by India. “It’s tough for bowlers in T20. The only series where our bowlers couldn’t click was South Africa,” he said. “I won’t judge our players based on one series. The good thing is that a lot has been learned from the South Africa series.”
Selection for the 2026 contest was hampered by Amanjot Kaur not recovering sufficiently from her back injury to be fit for selection and her replacement not being considered. Kashvee Gautam was on tour to South Africa but suffered a knee injury and was set to undergo surgery. In the team’s announcement, Harmanpreet said, “Amanjot will be out of action for the next four-five months. Kashvi Gautam was not available for selection, the medical team will issue a detailed update.”
The absence of these two all-rounders meant there was room for Radha Yadav, who toured England last year. Radha’s return added experience to the spin attack, which also included Deepti Sharma, Shree Charani and Shreyanka Patil.
Medium-pacer Nandani Sharma had a new face.
Nandani played all 10 matches for Delhi Capitals in a successful season in the Women’s Premier League last year. This included a hat-trick against Gujarat Titans in a game in which Nandani took five. India’s other pace options are Renuka Singh, Arundhati Reddy and Kranti Gaud. In England conditions, given the possible mix of the eleven considering the balance, India may find themselves having to rotate a little more than they would like. There was also the return of goalkeeper Yastika Bhatia, who was out of senior action due to injury. Yastika last played for India A in Australia in August last year and then underwent surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
While there are no major surprises in India’s squad, the think tank might be a bit apprehensive about fielding. They will have their work cut out for them ahead of the World Cup, which includes a three-match series in England. There are members of this squad whose effectiveness on the pitch is inconsistent, and this could be crucial in tough matches against the world’s best.
India’s campaign begins against Pakistan – this element of ICC tournaments remains unchanged regardless of the format or gender of the teams playing – in Birmingham on June 14. The other teams in India’s group are Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh and Netherlands.
The top two teams in the group will advance to the semi-finals. India also selected the squad for the one-off Test at Lord’s. “We are excited to play a Test at Lord’s,” Harmanpreet said. “This is of course a dream come true for every cricketer and we hope to do our best.
TEAM FOR ONE-OFF TEST AGAINST ENGLAND: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Varma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Pratika Rawal, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (week), Shree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (week), Nandani Sharma, Harleen Deol, Renuka Singh, Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, Sneh Rana
