Women's T20 World Cup 2023, India vs England: 3 player battles to watch out for

A blockbuster clash awaits at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023 as India take on England at St. George's Park in Gqeberha on Saturday, February 18.

Both teams have got off to a fine start in Group 2, winning both their encounters thus far. A victory in this contest will all but secure a spot in the semifinals for either of the two serious title contenders.

While England have had the benefit of playing a game in Gqeberha this tournament, this will be the first match here for the Women in Blue after two contests in Cape Town. Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. will be hoping to make it a hat-trick of wins that can secure their berth in the knockouts of the Women's T20 World Cup.

With this in mind, here's a look at three crucial player battles that could define this contest:

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#1 Shafali Verma vs Katherine Sciver-Brunt

It was Katherine Sciver-Brunt who provided a template to the world on how to bowl to Shafali Verma. The veteran seamer exposed an evident chink in the right-handed prodigy's game in 2021, bombarding her with short-pitched deliveries aplenty.

The world has followed suit in similar fashion, and Sciver-Brunt can be expected to deploy more of the same when England and India meet in Gqeberha for their Women's T20 World Cup bout. While Shafali has a T20I strike rate of 176.5 against Sciver-Brunt, the latter has also accounted for her wicket twice.

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#2 Deepti Sharma vs Sophia Dunkley

England have come out breathing intent with the bat so far in the Women's T20 World Cup, and leading the charge has been Sophia Dunkley. The swashbuckling opener has thrown caution to the wind and she is bound to carry on in the same, cavalier manner.

India's bowler for all seasons, Deepti Sharma, will be tasked with putting a halt to Dunkley's pyrotechnics. The off-spinner was not only the Player of the Match during India's win over West Indies, but she also became the country's first bowler to bag 100 T20I wickets.

Deepti has dismissed Dunkley twice in T20Is, with the right-hander averaging 21 and scoring at a rate of 123.5. She could look to deploy the sweep on a regular basis and that ought to put Deepti's smarts under the spotlight.

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#3 Smriti Mandhana vs Sophie Ecclestone

While India were given a massive boost with Smriti Mandhana recovering from a finger injury, she failed to get going against the West Indies. The star opener will look to put it behind her and get into the tournament once the Women in Blue face off against England, who possess a solid bowling unit.

One matchup that Mandhana has dominated through and through to date is the one against Sophie Ecclestone. The top-ranked bowler in the ICC T20I Rankings hasn't been able to find an answer to the southpaw, who has amassed 90 runs against the left-arm spinner at a strike rate of 183.7 while being dismissed just once.

In many ways, this battle could prove to be the most defining one in this Women's T20 World Cup clash. India's ace batter against England's trump card with the ball - it can't get better than this, can it?

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Who among India and England will make it three wins out of three at the Women's T20 World Cup? Let us know in the comments section below!

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