“Whatever the pitch, the conditions, and the pressure of big matches, we are ready,” said Radha Yadav on India’s readiness in the spin department for the T20 World Cup
We are inching closer to the showpiece event in T20 cricket, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. We are just a few days away before the mega event that gets underway on 3rd October 2024 and concludes on 20th October 2024. The tournament has been shifted to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which was originally scheduled to take place in Bangladesh.
The upcoming edition is the 9th of the tournament, since its inception in the year 2009. Each of the 10 teams participating in the tournament has the potential to cause an upset against any side on their day in the field. The Indian team led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur are placed in group A alongside Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. The silverware has always eluded the Women in Blue, despite coming close on multiple occasions, the best being their appearance in the final in the 7th edition of the tournament in 2020 in Australia.
The conditions on offer in the UAE are anticipated to assist the spinners, especially as the tournament progresses. “Whatever the pitch, the conditions, and the pressure of big matches, we are ready,” said Radha Yadav on India’s preparations when it comes to the spin department, irrespective of the conditions for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
India has a quartet of spinners, including the likes of Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, and Asha Sobhana, excluding the part-time spin options in Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur herself being more than just a part-timer with the ball in hand. However, Deepti and Radha will likely be the frontline options in the starting line-up.
In the team to win games, Radha shared, “I am not trying to make a place for myself in the India team, if I have the skill and the ability to make the team win, then only I want to play. Otherwise, I don’t think I have to be a permanent member of the team. The only thing that goes on in my mind is how much I should improve myself so that I can make my team win in any situation.”
The Indian team was last involved in the Women’s Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, in July earlier this year. They ended as the runners-up of the tournament courtesy of an 8-wicket defeat in the final against the hosts, Sri Lanka led by skipper Chamari Athapaththu. However, a few of the Indian players, the likes of Smriti Mandhana (Southern Brave), Deepti Sharma (London Spirit), and Richa Ghosh (Birmingham Phoenix) were involved in the 4th edition of the Women’s Hundred in August.
The 24-year-old young middle-order batter Jemimah Rodrigues was also involved in the 3rd edition of the Women’s Caribbean Premier League representing the Trinbago Knight Riders. “The learning and teaching are not limited to cricket only; we learn a lot as human beings too. We see how a big player is playing, their approach, their mistakes, their failures. There is a lot to learn,” said Radha Yadav on franchise cricket being a platform to learn from international superstars and share their experiences with talented youngsters across the globe.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side will be up against the West Indies led by skipper Hayley Matthews on 29th September 2024 and against South Africa led by skipper Laura Wolvaardt on 1st October 2024 for a couple of warm-up games. The Indian team will commence their World Cup campaign against New Zealand led by skipper Sophie Devine in the 4th match of the tournament at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium from 7:30 PM IST.
(Quotes sourced from EspnCricinfo)