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Team India begin their campaign in women's cricket at the Commonwealth Games 2022 (CWG 2022) in Birmingham against the mighty Australians on Friday. They also have competitive teams like Pakistan and Barbados in their group, which will surely make qualification a bit tricky.
However, the way Smriti Mandhana and Yastika Bhatia have been vocal about the Women in Blue setting their sights on the gold medal speaks a lot about the mindset of the team.
Women's cricket has been introduced for the first time in CWG 2022 and it promises to be an absolutely exciting tournament. Despite missing a couple of their key players at the moment due to COVID-19, India still have a decent number of match-winners in their ranks for a memorable tournament.
On that note, let's take a look at three reasons why this Indian team can go all the way and win their maiden CWG gold in women's cricket:
#3 Easier to keep momentum going in smaller tournaments
On paper, one might argue that teams like Australia, England, New Zealand and perhaps even South Africa are stronger than India. However, with a team playing a maximum of just five games, any team can beat their opposition on a given day.
Such small tournaments are all about momentum. If the Women in Blue can gather some momentum by doing well against Australia in their first game, they might carry that confidence and find themselves in the final.
#2 Presence of X-factors like Shafali Verma
The Women in Blue might have underperformed at the 2022 Women's World Cup in New Zealand. But they still showed flashes of brilliance which can be taken as an inspiration for CWG 2022.
One of the biggest match-winners India have in their squad is Shafali Verma. In 33 matches, she has scored 753 runs at a fantastic strike rate of 139.18. Alongside Smriti Mandhana, if Shafali can set the stage ablaze at the top of the order, she can set up a great CWG 2022 campaign for her team.
The Women in Blue also have a number of all-rounders who, on their day, can produce game-changing performances. With these players, they can definitely give themselves a chance of going deep in the tournament.
#1 Great mix of youth and experience
Ever since Harmanpreet Kaur took over the T20I captaincy, she has backed the team to play fearless cricket. The team composition is such that the explosiveness and flair of Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues perfectly balance the calmness brought in by the likes of Harmanpreet and Mandhana.
Even in the all-rounders department, the experience of Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana can come in handy. This team definitely has the talent needed to win the gold medal.
If they manage to punch above their weight and remain consistent, we might well see the Indian national anthem being played during the medal ceremony in women's cricket.
