SWOT Analysis of India’s Squad selected for U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023

The ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 is set to get underway on 14th January and will go on till 29th January 2023. It will be hosted by South Africa and will have 41 matches in total with the finals at the JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom.

The World Cup will feature 16 teams spread across four groups:

Which group is India placed in the U19 Women’s World Cup 2023?

India is in Group D with Scotland, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

Does India have warm-up matches scheduled?

India has warm-up matches scheduled versus Australia on 9th January and Bangladesh on 11th January respectively and will look to make the most of them and figure out team combinations and strategies.

What are India’s group-stage fixtures in the U19 Women’s World Cup 2023?

What is India’s squad for the ICC U19 Women’s World Cup 2023?

Shafali Verma (c), Shweta Sehrawat (vc), Richa Ghosh (wk), G Trisha, Soumya Tiwari, Sonia Mehdiya, Hurley Gala, Hrishita Basu (wk), Sonam Yadav, Mannat Kashyap, Archana Devi, Parshavi Chopra, Titas Sadhu, Falak Naz, Shabnam MD

Standby players: Shikha, Najla CMC, Yashashree

Let’s do a SWOT Analysis of India’s squad and objectively assess it all

Strengths

• The addition of Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh: The inclusion of India seniors, Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh undoubtedly has to be the biggest bonus for the U-19 team. Besides the obvious of how they will add star value, the duo bring in a lot of experience and balance to the side that will be aiming to win this inaugural World Cup.

• The underrated duo of Tithas Sadhu and Hurley Gala: These two have been fantastic for Team India and for their domestic teams in the opportunities they have got. Valuable all-rounders who have so much to offer and this World Cup will be exciting to see how the two will fare. Mannat Kashyap is also an exciting prospect and her street-smart cricketing acumen will come in handy for India in the matches lined up.

• India’s rich bowling stocks: India has a well-balanced and strong bowling lineup. Falak Naz, Sonam Mendhiya, Sonam Yadav, Shabnam MD, Mannat Kashyap, Archana Devi, Parshavi Chopra and Tithas Sadhu with even Soumya Tiwari and G Trisha who can bowl if needed, India has a lot of options to choose from and they are certainly going to bolster India’s prospects at restricting a batting line up or even defend low totals.

Weaknesses

• Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh not coming into their own as yet: Perhaps one of the biggest concerns for India has to be how the India senior team duo of Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh still haven’t been able to unleash their A-game as yet and this was largely seen in the series versus South Africa. A lot of expectations riding on them were to make merry of the South African bowlers but their inability to replicate their earlier golden runs was concerning and with the World Cup fast approaching, India will certainly bank on the duo to get back to the groove and score runs for fun.

• Dependence on Shweta Sehrawat and Soumya Tiwari: A concerning trend during the South Africa series was how once Shafali Verma was dismissed, the pressure to score runs fell on Shweta Sehrawat and consequently on Soumya Tiwari from the middle order who would more often than not be engaged in the rebuilding effort, they were phenomenal nonetheless as seen in the series with the New Zealand Development side. Although in the South Africa series, the totals to chase were not daunting so a loss of a few wickets still did not prove detrimental but in the World Cup where the unexpected can happen, India will be hoping all their batters fire.

Opportunities

• To win the first-ever U-19 World Cup in women’s cricket: This is the inaugural U19 Women’s World Cup and India boasts a strong squad so why not dream to lay hands on that elusive trophy, right? India has the means and the ability to go all the way and claim silverware as the squad is bristling with intent and potential. This will certainly be a massive boost for women’s cricket in India as it would be the first-ever ICC event and what better way than this golden opportunity to achieve a distinction like that?

• To make a strong case for themselves at the WIPL: With the Women’s IPL also fast approaching, winning the U19 World Cup will serve as an excellent platform for the young girls to showcase their talent and be eligible for selection in the auctions where franchises would want to catch them young.

• Injuries to the squad and the availability of strong reserve players: In a worst-case scenario of injuries to the main players, India is blessed with wonderful reserves in the form of Najla CMC, Yashasri and Shikha who are proven match-winners themselves and have tons of experience in the domestic cricket and the South Africa series to easily stake a claim in the squad as a fitting replacement.

Threats

• UAE can present themselves as tough contenders: India is in a Group with South Africa, Scotland and the United Arab Emirates and they do not present themselves as threats except the UAE who have some solid players and can challenge the likes of Shafali Verma and co. and India should be wary of them.

• South Africa may want to avenge their losses: South Africa was handed a heavy 4-0 loss in the five-match series prior to this World Cup and was completely outplayed by India. If they get their bases right, they might challenge India and aim to upset them as this is their home World Cup and they would not want to let India pass by without a solid fight.

• Knockouts threat looming: Even though realistically, India will win all their group stage matches, the Super 6 stages could prove to be tricky for them as they could potentially square off against teams like Australia, England, the United States of America and New Zealand who are also strong opponents and could challenge India massively thereby threatening semi-finals and eventual finals spots so India will have to continue to keep their momentum and morale high.

What can the best playing 11 for India look like?

Shafali Verma (c), Shweta Sehrawat (vc), Richa Ghosh (wk), G Trisha, Hurley Gala, Hrishita Basu (wk), Mannat Kashyap, Parshavi Chopra, Titas Sadhu, Falak Naz, Shabnam MD