South Africa has proved to be special for Indian cricket, with India having won both the 2007 Men’s T20 World Cup and the 2023 Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup out there. An opportunity to complete a unique record awaits, as the Indian Women’s team gears up for the Women’s T20 World Cup, with our campaign starting against our neighbours and our arch rivals. Pakistan on Sunday (February 12).

Harmanpreet Kaur’s Team India has a healthy mix of young and experienced talents, and they head into the tournament as potential title challengers. This bunch knows how to win at the big stage, and will indeed prove to be a force to be reckoned with once the real action begins.

Here’s our SWOT analysis of the Indian Women’s cricket team going into the World Cup:

Strengths

First and foremost, India have a dynamic batting order at the top. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma are like Batman and Robin, collectively amassing 3,761 T20I runs. They will dictate the batting in the tournament alongside big-hitter Richa Ghosh. And of course, the ever-dependable skipper in Harmanpreet is always there, and every World Cup thus far has had a Harman special.

Another valuable strength for India is spin. Deepti Sharma was a rockstar in 2022, with 29 wickets in 25 games. Her power to quickly turn situations around with the ball is sure to pose problems for opposition teams in the tournament.

Weakness

If India had a superhero(ine) for pace bowling, it was Jhulan Goswami. Besides her height, the mentor of our women’s MI team was a towering presence in the bowling unit as she claimed quick wickets with her incredible bowling skills. Hence, Shikha Pandey, who returns to the team, has some big shoes to fill in.

Fielding is a slight grey area that has often troubled India in significant games. Top hitters like Alice Capsey (ENG) and Kim Garth (AUS) are likely to exploit the square boundaries on the South African pitches for strong team totals.

Opportunities

2023 has begun on a promising note for women’s cricket in India, as we claimed our first-ever Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup. This is sure to have raised the confidence among our women cricketers, as they now aim to achieve their first ICC title at the senior level, and replicate what the men did in 2007!

Threats

Falling just short under pressure in the crucial stages of ICC tournaments has troubled the Indian cricket team. Add to that, the extraordinary record of defending champions Australia (five titles in seven attempts), England’s T20 World Cup win percentage of 74.24, and a possible over-reliance on star bowler, Renuka Singh, could be a significant challenge for India to overcome.

Final Thoughts

The Indian women’s cricket team have always been a force to be reckoned with in major tournaments. This event is a perfect stage for the Women in Blue to say ‘Yes We Can’ and emulate MS Dhoni’s 2007 Men’s T20 World Cup win on these very shores.

With memories of past heroics, the Indian women’s cricket team embark on a mission not just to win an ICC trophy, but to become an example for a whole new generation of women cricketers, both present and future. And our Paltan won’t leave any stone unturned in cheering the loudest for our side!