An in-depth look at India, whose mix of superstars and teenagers could see them claim their first ICC Women's T20 World Cup
T20 World Cup preview: India
The squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Veda Krishnamurthy, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Deepti Sharma, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Rajeshwari Gaekwad, Richa Ghosh
Who they’re missing: One big face missing from their 2018 World Cup squad is former captain Mithali Raj, who announced her retirement from the format last year.
ICC T20 ranking: 4th
Form line (most recent first): LWLLWWWWWW
The 2018 result: Semi-finalist
Best finish: Semi-finalist (2009, 2010, 2018)
The big question: Will India’s spin to win approach pay off? Their squad is stacked with spin-bowling options and their tactics in the tri-series were a clear indication they will be sticking with their pace-off tactics. Shikha Pandey is their sole frontline seamer with allrounders Pooja Vastrakar and Arundhati Reddy also named. Upon announcing their squad, captain Harmanpreet Kaur made it clear that, "our strength is spin and we have to stick to that".
Player to watch: Smriti Mandhana is pure class and India need her to score prolifically if they are to advance deep into this tournament, particularly given there is some concern around the middle-to-lower order. She has support now in the form of Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues and given her experience on – and enjoyment of – Australian wickets, the stage is set for the stylish left-handed opener to thrive.
The X-Factor: Harmanpreet Kaur did not enjoy the best of years with the bat in T20Is in 2019, failing to score a half-century in 10 matches. Her last big knock came in the 2018 World Cup, where she was the tournament’s sole centurion, but she is accustomed to Australian conditions having played in the Big Bash and on her day, there is simply no stopping the India captain.
Don't be surprised if: Hard-hitting teen Shafali Verma takes at least one bowling attack to task. Verma, who recently turned 16, broke the record for youngest Indian player to score an international fifty last year and has quickly made an impression with her hard-hitting, fearless approach. She smacked 124 from 78 deliveries against Australia A in Brisbane last December, before going after the senior Australia team at Junction Oval in a 28-ball 49, so she’s already displaying a liking for Australian conditions.
The overall numbers
Team record: Matches: 118 | Won: 63 | Lost: 53 | Tied: 0 | NR: 1
Highest total: 4-198 v England, Mumbai 2018
Lowest total (completed innings): 62 v Australia, Billericay 2011
The fixtures
February 21 v Australia, Sydney Showgrounds, 7pm AEDT
February 26 v Thailand, Manuka Oval, 3pm AEDT
February 28 v Pakistan, Manuka Oval, 7pm AEDT
March 1 v West Indies, Sydney Showgrounds, 7pm AEDT