Deepti Sharma (left) and Jemimah Rodrigues.© X (formerly Twitter)
As India gears up for the Women's T20 World Cup, spinner Poonam Yadav shared her insights about the team's possible combination and said that Deepti Sharma will play a key role in the bowling attack. Deepti made her debut in T20I in 2016 and has appeared in 117 matches and 75 innings as batter and scored 1020 runs at a strike rate of 104.29. The 27-year-old also picked up 131 wickets in 20-over matches and 114 innings. Speaking exclusively on Star Sports' "Follow the Blues", Poonam said that if dew plays a factor in the tournament, then India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur might opt for one or two spinners.
She added that both Deepti and Asha Shobana could be included in India's playing eleven.
"If the dew factor becomes significant, Captain Harmanpreet Kaur may opt for a team combination that includes one or two spinners. While she has shown confidence in the pacers, given the pitch's bounce, she may also consider using Asha Shobana, a wrist-spinner. Wrist spinners can turn the ball on any type of track, and their pace is generally slower. Deepti Sharma will undoubtedly play a key role in leading India's bowling attack. It's possible that both Deepti Sharma and Asha Shobana could be included in the playing eleven. However, given Harmanpreet Kaur's preference for pacers, it's likely she will primarily rely on them," Poonam said, according to a release.
Poonam Yadav is not part of India's squad for the T20 World Cup.
In the last edition of the T20 World Cup in 2022, India again came close to making history, storming into the semi-finals. However, Australia proved to be a stumbling block once again.
In the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, India has had mixed results. They lost the T20I series against Australia and England earlier this year, but Harmanpreet's side bounced back with two consecutive series wins against Bangladesh.
In July, India's T20I series against South Africa ended in a draw. In the Asia Cup 2024, India lost the final to Sri Lanka, who remained unbeaten throughout the tournament.
India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against New Zealand on October 4 at Dubai International Stadium. Before the tournament, India will play warm-up matches against the West Indies and South Africa.
Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajana Sajeevan.
Travelling reserves: Uma Chetry (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Saima Thakor.
Non-Travelling Reserves: Raghvi Bist, Priya Mishra.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)