India will be one of the favorites to win the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. Despite playing against some of the top teams in the world like Australia, New Zealand, England, West Indies, and South Africa, India could stand a chance if a lot of things can go their way. Despite losing to Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final last month, they have some factors going in their favor. India needs to capitalize on them to win the title.
India announced its squad for the tournament which has some big names like Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Shafali Varma, and so on. Most of them have made a name for themselves at the highest level. There are three main factors which could play a crucial role in the campaign of the Indian team in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024.
Playing conditions
The Women’s T20 WC 2024 will be taking place in UAE. Most of the stadiums will have pitches that are usually slow and assist spinners. These are home-like conditions for the Indian team. The players have played all their careers on such tracks and would love to play on such wickets.
The batters would know how to go about things on such wickets. They would know when to attack and when to slow down the pace. Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi would be favorable to the spun bowlers. Indian spinners, especially the finger spinners would be looking forward to such conditions.
Advent of the WPL
The Women’s Premier League might be a big boost for the players. A few years back, the players would have felt the pressure of having to perform against some of the best players in the world. But over the last couple of seasons, the Indian players have played regularly against some of the best players in the world.
The best players from Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, and the West Indies take part in the WPL. Having played with and against them would have given the Indian players a lot of confidence. It could be helpful when India takes on big opponents. Players can use their experience.
Spin bowling attack
The Indian squad has four potent spin bowlers like Deepti Sharma, Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, and Asha Sobhana. Each of them are unique in their own way. Deepti is a bowling All-rounder who can spin the ball away from the left-handed batters. She can make a difference with the bat.
Shreyanka Patil can spin the ball into the right-handed batters at a quick pace. She helped RCB Women’s team win the WPL after finding themselves nearly out of the tournament. Asha Sobhana with her leg-spin brings different variations to the attack. Radha Yadav can be handy against the right-handed batters.