Women's T20 World Cup 2023: Women's cricket has gained enormous popularity over the past few years and is taking giant strides. The advent of the Women's Premier League is a historic move in the women's game and it will propel the popularity of the sport and how it is being played. After Mithali Raj and co. qualified for the ICC Women's ODI World Cup in 2017, the popularity of women's cricket skyrocketed. India also qualified for the finals of the 2020 edition of the women's T20 World Cup but lost to Australia.
The ICC Women's T20 World Cup is all set to start on February 10, 2023, and the Indian team will have their eyes on the prize. For some time now, India have been exceptional in all the bilateral series that they have played, but just like the men's team, they falter at the grandest stage of them all, the World Cup stage. Recently, Shafali Verma and her side won the U-19 Women's T20 World Cup and now Harmanpreet Kaur is eyeing to achieve the same feat.
Ahead of the much-awaited event, Harmanpreet Kaur said:
Our men's team played the final of the 2003 ODI World Cup in South Africa and then the women's team followed by making it to the final in 2005. The Indian men's team then did one better by winning the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. Will we be able to emulate them once again? I feel only time has the answer to this. But we are aiming to do that.
India women play their first match against Pakistan women on February 12, 2023, and they will start as favourites for the tournament. Australia defeated India in the finals of the Women's T20 World Cup and also in the finals of the Commonwealth Games 2022. This time around the 'Women in Blue' will want to change their track record and cross the finishing line.
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Indian squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Richa Ghosh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Radha Yadav, Renuka Thakur, Anjali Sarvani, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shikha Pandey.
Reserves: Sabbhineni Meghana, Sneh Rana, Meghna Singh.
