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Team India made a superb start to their ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023 by beating arch-rivals Pakistan by seven wickets in Cape Town on Sunday, February 12.
Batting first, Pakistan posted 149/4 in their stipulated 20 overs. Skipper Bismah Maroof scored an unbeaten 68 off 55 balls, but it was Ayesha Naseem's (43* off 25) heroics that took the Women in Green to a decent total. They took on the Indian bowlers in the death overs, accumulating 58 runs in the last five.
In response, India got off to a slow start and Yastika Bhatia departed after struggling to find her mojo. Shafali Verma (33), fresh from U19 T20 World Cup, also failed to convert her start into a big knock.
Jemimah Rodrigues, who has been in and out of the squad, started the rebuilding process along with skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who also perished after a 12-ball 16-run knock.
As India were staring down the barrel once again on the World Cup stage, India's No.3 found an able partner in Richa Ghosh. The duo added an unbeaten 58 to steer the Women in Blue home with one over to spare.
While it was a dream start for India, head coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar will have some headaches ahead of the West Indies game. While the bowling looked all over the place, there were a couple of dropped catches as well that cost India some important runs.
On that note, let's take a look at three changes India can make for their T20 World Cup clash against West Indies.
#1 Smriti Mandhana
India's vice-captain, who bagged a whopping ₹3.4 crore deal at the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023 auction, had to sit out in the first game with a finger injury.
Bhatia played in her absence but couldn't make the most of the opportunity, chipping in with only 17 runs off 20 deliveries.
The left-handed batter might have to make way for Mandhana, who is likely to be available for the West Indies game.
#2 Devika Vaidya
Not many knew Devika Vaidya before she bagged a ₹1.4 crore paycheck at the WPL auction on Monday. An all-rounder by trade, the Maharashtra-born all-rounder is a handy option in the middle order, besides her exploits with the ball.
The southpaw is a good striker of the ball and will bring variety to the batting unit, which boasts maximum right-handed batters. She is a genuine wicket-taker with her leg breaks and will give a different variation to the attack.
She is likely to replace Harleen Deol in the Indian playing XI. Although Harleen would be hard done by, given that she hardly had any role to play in the last game, the Women in Blue will look to find the right combinations before the business end of the tournament.
#3 Shikha Pandey
Shikha Pandey, the most experienced bowler in the attack knows how to get the job done on the biggest stage. After a long hiatus, she finally returned to the side for the tri-series and immediately made her presence felt. The Goa cricketer was equally impressive in the first warm-up game against Australia, returning with figures of 2/9.
One of the two left-arm orthodox spinners in Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Radha Yadav would have to make way for Shikha. Gayakwad might face the axe, given that she returned wicket-less, conceding 31 runs from four overs. Radha, on the other hand, was the pick of the bowlers, returning with figures of 2/21 in her four overs.
Can Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. beat West Indies Women and keep their winning run in the T20 World Cup?
