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The sixth edition of Women's World T20 starts on November 9 in Guyana. The ten team tournament in West Indies will see all the competitors participating in a round-robin format with two groups before the knockout stages.
India is slotted alongside three-time champions Australia, arch-rivals Pakistan, New Zealand and Ireland in Group B. They begin their campaign with the inaugural match of the tournament against the Kiwis.
In Group A, along with the host and defending champions West Indies, we have ODI champions England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. The final will be held on 24th November at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.
India were not able to go beyond the group stage in the last three editions of the Women's World T20. They will be hoping to change the trend this time around and grab the trophy. Former off-spinner Ramesh Powar is the head coach of the Indian contingent.
Let us take a close look at India's 15-member squad for the 2018 Women's World T20.
Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain)
The swashbuckling batter from Punjab will lead India's hopes in the tournament. An attacking middle order batter with some handy off-spin bowling as well as terrific fielding performances, Harmanpreet Kaur is the live-wire of the current Indian squad.
Harmanpreet became the first Indian cricketer to be signed by an overseas T20 franchise when she was enlisted by Sydney Thunders for the inaugural Women's Big Bash League in 2016. She was part of the 2017 ICC Women's T20I Team of the Year. She is currently the highest ranked Indian batter in T20Is.
Smriti Mandhana (Vice-Captain)
Smriti Mandhana will be the deputy to Harmanpreet Kaur in the upcoming T20 World Cup. The elegant left-handed opening batter is one of the most promising cricketers in the country and has established herself as a reliable presence at the top of the order.
Mandhana was only the second cricketer after Harmanpreet to be part of the WBBL. She also became the first Indian cricketer to be a part of England's KIA Super League in 2018. The southpaw ended up bagging the Player of the Series award with consistent batting performances.
Known for her elegant drives through the offside and the swift pick-up shots through the onside, the Indian team's performance in the tournament will hugely depend on her form.
Mithali Raj
Mithali Raj is unarguably the greatest woman cricketer produced by India. She will also be part of the squad for this World T20. Aside from being the first Indian cricketer to score 2000 T20I runs, she is also the leading scorer in Women's ODIs with more than 6000 runs.
She will provide the much-needed experience to the team which could be handy during the crucial stages of the tournament. She will be partnering Mandhana in the opening slot and is capable of providing the stability to the batting unit.
Taniya Bhatia (Wicket Keeper)
Taniya Bhatia is the lone wicket-keeper in the squad. She made her national debut earlier this year after replacing the experienced Sushma Verma.
Being a better batter than the other wicket-keepers in India, Bhatia affirmed her place in the squad since her debut. She scored 68 in her maiden ODI innings. This 20-year-old from Punjab will be among the players to watch out for in this tournament.
Jemimah Rodriguez
The teen batting sensation from Mumbai rose into the limelight when she scored a double century for Mumbai in the domestic women's tournament last year. The 18-year old is already among the best batters in the country, especially in the shortest format of the game.
With a healthy average 37 and a strike rate of 137 in T20Is, Jemimah Rodriguez is certainly one for the future. The kind of form she is in at the moment has added to her fearless approach in batting.
Anuja Patil
The experienced all-rounder from Maharashtra is a regular in India's T20I squad even though she is yet to feature in a ODI. She is capable of playing a pinch-hitting role as well as steadying the ship in the middle order whenever the team needs. She brings much-needed balance to the squad with her off-breaks and brilliant fielding.
Veda Krishnamurthy
The most energetic player in the squad, Veda Krishnamurthy brings aggressiveness into the squad with the bat and in the field. It may not be far-fetched to say that she can be in the team just for her fielding abilities. Having featured for Hobart Hurricanes, she is the third cricketer from India to play in WBBL.
Poonam Yadav
Poonam Yadav, the leg-spinner from Uttar Pradesh, is currently the highest ranked T20I bowler in the Indian squad. She is ranked second and is only behind Megan Schutt of Australia. Her leg-breaks often turn out to be unreadable and unpredictable for the batters.
Deepti Sharma
One of the best all-rounders the country has ever seen, Deepti Sharma can easily find a place in the squad as a batter or bowler alone. She was awarded the best domestic women's cricketer last year by BCCI.
Sharma holds the record for highest ODI score (188) by an Indian woman. She is a lower middle-order batter in the shortest format. However, she can also open the innings whenever needed. She fills in the middle overs with her accurate off-spin.
Dayalan Hemalatha
The young all-rounder from Tamil Nadu is up and ready for a T20I debut in this tournament. She donned the blue jersey for the first time in the recently concluded ODI series against Sri Lanka and impressed everyone with her all-round performances. A handy middle-order batter and an off-break bowler, she offers adequate backup for Anuja Patil.
Arundhati Reddy
Arundhati Reddy, the new fast bowling sensation from Hyderabad, is all set to take over the mantle from Jhulan Goswami. She made her debut in the recently concluded T20I series against Sri Lanka and has impressed everyone with her brilliant bowling performances. She is likely to start in the playing XI in the upcoming tournament.
Ekta Bisht
The experienced left-arm spinner Ekta adds more value to the spin attack of the Indian team. Ekta became the first cricketer to take a hat-trick in Women's World T20 in 2012 against Sri Lanka. She imparts considerable flight and can also vary her pace smartly. She was named in the ICC ODI and T20I Teams of the Year in 2017.
Radha Yadav
Another teenager that debuted this year, Radha Yadav is all set for her first World T20. With the number of spinners in the squad, the left-arm orthodox spinner may have to wait for a few matches to make her tournament debut.
Pooja Vastrakar
Pooja Vastrakar debuted earlier this year and has quickly became a regular face in the Indian lineup. The seam all-rounder has already made a name for herself as a more than useful pinch-hitting lower order batter and a quick stump-to-stump kind of bowler.
She was out due to an ankle injury in the recent series but is back into the team replacing the more experienced Shikha Pandey.
Mansi Joshi
Mansi Joshi is back in the squad as the third seamer. The right arm fast medium bowler was part of the ODI World Cup squad last year when the team finished as finalists. She was the leading wicket-taker for India in the recently concluded ODI series vs Sri Lanka. She will be competing with Arundhati Reddy for a spot in the playing eleven.
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