Indian team is going to play the first match of T20 World Cup 2023 against Pakistan (IND vs PAK). But opener Smriti Mandhana is not playing in this match.
The Indian women’s team will play their first match against Pakistan on Sunday as part of the Women’s T20 World Cup. Both teams are placed in the same group. Fans are waiting for a high voltage match on Sunday. Both the teams are trying to start the tournament with a win. For this match, both the teams will field their best playing XI.
Changing their entire playing eleven 24 hours before the match has become a problem for India. As the team’s vice-captain and opener Smriti Mandhana got injured in the warm-up match, the team’s batting order will also change after that.
Smriti out from the first match..
In a press conference, acting coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar said.. ‘Smriti’s finger injury has not healed. It will take more time for her to recover. There is no chance to play the first match. There is no fracture in her finger and we expect her to be available from the second match. We want to play with a strong team. We are fully prepared for the match, the weather is good. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur has fully recovered from the shoulder injury sustained in the tri-series against West Indies and South Africa,’ said the former Indian cricketer.
Yastika instead of Smriti Mandhana..
It seems that Shefali Verma and young batsman Jemima Rodrigues may be dropped to open in place of Smriti Mandhana. At the same time, it seems that Yastika Bhatia may be included in the team as a batsman. Yastika was also part of the team for the T20 tri-series before the World Cup. Harleen Deol will be seen in the third position and Harmanpreet Kaur in the fourth position. Richa Ghosh, coming off the back of the Under-19 World Cup, will bat in the middle order along with the wicket-keeper. All-rounder Deepti Sharma will also play a key role. In the spin bowling department, Deepti will be supported by veterans Rajeshwari Gaikwad and Radha Yadav. Meanwhile, the fast bowling responsibilities will be on Renuka Singh, Shikha Pandey and Pooja Vastrakar.
Probable playing XI of India-Pakistan can be like this..
Indian Team – Smriti Mandhana, Jemima Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur, Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gaikwad, Renuka Singh, Shikha Pandey, Radha Yadav.
Pakistan – Sidra Amin, Muneeba Ali, Nida Dar, Ayesha Naseem, Sadaf Shamas, Alia Riaz, Sidra Nawaz, Zaveria Khan, Bisma Maroof, Aiman Anwar, Nashra Sandhu.
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