Smriti Mandhana To Shafali Verma: 3 Batters Who’re Likely To Play A Big Role For India In Women’s T20 World Cup

New Delhi: The 2023 edition of Women's T20 World Cup will take place in South Africa this year. The tournament will start on February 10 and the final is on February 26.

Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian team is part of the Group B and will start its campaign for the maiden ICC title on Sunday (February 12) against arch-rivals Pakistan. Apart from the Women in Green, India will face England, Ireland and West Indies. The Women in Blue reached the final in the last edition of the tournament which was played in Australia in 2020 and this time the young team will hope to get one better and bag the top-prize.

For India to do well in the upcoming tournament, a lot will depend on how their batters perform. So, here's a look at three batter's who performance will have a big say in India's result:

Smriti Mandhana: Opening batter Smriti is the vice-captain of the team and is amongst the world's best batters. She was on fire against Australia last year when India hosted them in a five-match series in Mumbai. The left-handed opener who is ranked three in ICC T20I batters ranking, will have a big responsibility of providing India a good start and set the foundation for a big total.

Shafali Verma: Smriti's opening partner Shafali recently led the India U-19 side to World Cup win in South Africa and now she has set her sight on the senior title. The 19-year-old is an aggressive batter who likes to score runs at a quick pace. She is at the No. 8 position in ICC batters rankings and now with the ball also, she is capable to contribute in team's success.

Harmanpreet Kaur: Indian skipper Harman holds the record for playing the highest number of T20I matches. She is among the most experienced players in the women's arena and is a big match player. On her day, she has win the matches single-handedly and the Indian team management will hope that during the Women's T20 World Cup, she is in her best form.