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Team India will kick off their Women's T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on Sunday, February 12. Harmanpreet Kaur and her side were runners-up in the previous edition of the tournament, losing in the final to hosts Australia.
The Indian team has only gone from strength to strength since then. They also won the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games last year after losing to Australia in the final.
India have been a force to reckon with in recent times and are capable of beating any side on their day. However, they will want to be more consistent in their performances, especially against the top sides in a major tournament.
On that note, we take a look at three areas of concern for the side ahead of the Women's T20 World Cup:
#1 Injury worries
Ahead of their opening contest against Pakistan, it was confirmed that Smriti Mandhana will miss the game due to a finger injury. Head coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar did confirm that she is expected to be back for the second game. The left-handed batter has been a mainstay at the top of the order for India and will have a crucial role to play in the tournament.
Apart from the vice-captain, the Indian captain, too, has had a few fitness issues recently. Harmanpreet Kaur has missed India's last few T20Is in the recent past due to a back injury. In the tri-series final against South Africa last week, she suffered from neck stiffness.
Although the injuries to the captain and vice-captain aren't expected to be too serious, the team will want to take every precaution necessary for arguably two of the most important players in the side.
#2 Fielding
Fielding has been an Achilles Heel for the Women in Blue in the recent past. For all the strength they boast in their bowling and batting departments, their fielding standards need to be lifted coming into this major tournament. In a game of fine margins, it often comes down to crucial moments on the field.
Teams like Australia, England, New Zealand, and South Africa pride themselves on the standards they set on the field. India do have some gun fielders with Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav and Harleen Deol in the side and need to make sure this is an area they improve on.
#3 Death bowling
Another area of concern for the Women in Blue is their bowling at the backend of the innings. The issue has been around long enough for it to be a major worry for the side, with the captain usually having to rely on Deepti Sharma to close out the innings. Pooja Vastrakar is another one who is being trusted for the role in recent times.
However, the team hasn't managed to finish games well, with taking wickets in the death proving to be an issue. In the warm-up match against Australia last week, India had their opponents on the ropes at 79-8 in the 16th over. Australia, being a dominant side, still went on to score 50 runs in the last four overs to post a total of 129.
That not only swung the momentum back in Australia's favor but also eventually proved to be the difference between the two sides.
