The Indian women's cricket team has officially departed for England ahead of the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup. The squad enters this tournament carrying immense confidence after defying all odds to lift the ODI World Cup on home soil back in November. Their preparation was further bolstered by a historic series victory over heavyweight rivals Australia, providing the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side with significant momentum before embarking on this major global assignment.
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Everyone looks very hungry in terms of doing the right things: Smriti Mandhana
Reflecting on the team's evolution before their flight out, stellar opening batter Smriti Mandhana expressed strong belief in the current squad's maturity. She emphasized that this group of players has developed a much sharper competitive edge and a profound sense of purpose, setting a highly determined tone just a month before the prestigious tournament officially gets underway.
"For sure, we would like to continue the good form which we've had, especially having the success in the 50-over format in the World Cup. And then, of course, WPL (Women's Premier League) was also good for a lot of players to get that experience, plus the T20 series in Australia," Smriti told the ICC.
"Having said that, with cricket, it's all about how you start again. But I feel more than anything, with this team, we are really hungry. Everyone looks very hungry in terms of doing the right things," she added.
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'I feel great as a batter top out of the order'
Mandhana has highly praised India’s emerging power-hitters, shedding light on how the national team's T20 batting identity has undergone a massive evolution over recent seasons. The side now approaches the game with significantly more aggression through the middle and lower order. Dynamic players like Richa Ghosh, Bharti Fulmali, and Shafali Verma have become instrumental in shifting the momentum and altering the pace of an innings at will, a transition heavily reinforced by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur’s long-standing, attacking style of play. Mandhana openly acknowledged that this newfound depth in the batting lineup has liberated the top order. With reliable power-hitters waiting in the dugout, the opening batters have completely transformed how they approach constructing an innings, knowing they have the freedom to play more expansively from the very start.
"I feel great as a batter top out of the order, we have so many power hitters coming in later. We can take our time. It has not been the typical strength for this Indian team. But now it's turning out to be our strength because we have the likes of Shafali, Richa. Harman, of course, has been doing this for a very long time. And even people like Jemimah or me, we know we can find a way around the same strike rate to play," she added.