Strengths: Since the last Women’s T20 World Cup in 2024, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma’s opening partnership has yielded 762 runs at a strike-rate of 150, which is higher than any other pair in women’s T20Is. Their aggression in the Powerplay eases things for the middle order too. In the spin department too, Team India have quality. Left-arm spinner Shree Charani, who made her debut against England last year and picked up 10 wickets to win the Player of the Series award, should lead the spin brigade even as Deepti Sharma is the all-time leading wicket-taker in women’s T20Is with 161 scalps.

Renuka Singh Thakur