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Some eyebrows were raised when Team India’s squad for the 2023 Asian Games women’s cricket event was announced. While the likes of Richa Ghosh are back in the squad, fans were shocked to see Pooja Vastrakar and Sneh Rana in the reserves.
While the debate about team balance will continue, India’s team will know they have to do better than they did against Bangladesh in the recent T20Is. Although they won the series 2-1, there were flaws in all three divisions and the Women in Blue would certainly like to address that.
On that note, let’s look at the strongest possible XI that could help India secure their first ever gold medal in women’s cricket at the Asian Games:
Openers: Smriti Mandhana & Shafali Verma
India’s opening set appeared to be set with Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma most likely to go out to bat together. Mandana was caste strikes and Verma’s destructive ability is no secret to anyone.
However, inconsistency has been one of the factors affecting the duo lately. Chafali, in particular, has been criticized for her failures in Bangladesh and will need to step up and give her team that consistent start alongside Mandana.
Middle Rank: Jemima Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur
There is plenty of experience in the middle order with Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur being the fulcrums. However, they’ll need support from the explosive Richa Josh, who has a point to prove after getting back on the team.
Deepti Sharma and Amanjot Kaur are the two players who will be given the task of finishing the innings well. Amangot won the Player of the Year award on her T20I debut against South Africa and showed her prowess with the bat. Deepti’s finishing ability was under the razer and she certainly would like to be more consistent as a mixture.
Shooters: Devika Vaidya, Minnu Mani, Anjali Sarvani, Rajeshwari Gayakwad
Spin will be India’s strength and they want to keep all the variety of options available. Devika Vaidya and Minnu Mani were outstanding for Bangladesh, the latter taking five wickets in three matches. They can also contribute with the bat which deepens Indian batting more.
Anjali Sarvani could be the left-pace option Women in Blue can use with the new ball and Rajeshwari Gayakwad’s left-arm spinner experience gives them the ability to cover all the bases in their bowling.
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