Flamboyant wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has shared a special message for the Indian women's cricket team ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup set to be played in the UAE. Pant took to his X account to extend his warm wishes for the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side.
"Sending my best wishes to the Indian Women's Cricket Team for the World Cup. We all are rooting for you," Pant captioned his post.
Shubman Gill also wished the team with a heartwarming message on X. "Wishing our amazing Women in Blue the best of luck for the ICC Women's #T20WorldCup 2024! Your dedication and passion inspire millions. We’re all behind you as you shine on the world stage!" Gill captioned his post.
Notably, India have been placed in Group A alongside six-time champions Australia, arch-rivals Pakistan, reigning Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka and the White Ferns. The marquee tournament will get underway on October 3 with the curtain raiser to be played between Bangladesh and Scotland.
India will open their campaign against the Sophie Devine-led New Zealand on October 4, Friday. The match will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
India are one of the favourites to win the competition as they have announced a strong squad for the showpiece event. The opening combination is one of the best in the competition as Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana are known to provide the team with brisk starts.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur is likely to bat at number four and Jemimah Rodrigues has done reasonably well in her new role at number five. The team will have a few headaches to deal with at the number three slot as they haven't found an ideal player for that position.
Dayalan Hemalatha was given an extended run at the number three slot but failed to make it her own. Yastika Bhatia has also been included in the squad and therefore it will be interesting to see who they play at number three.
The bowling attack has a nice variety with quality spinners and pacers in the mix.
India’s squad for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024:
Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk)*, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil*, Sajana Sajeevan.
*Subject to fitness clearance
Travelling Reserves: Uma Chetry (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Saima Thakor
Non-Travelling Reserves: Raghvi Bist, Priya Mishra
