How much world cricket revolves around India and the performance of their teams became clear once again in 2017 when the women's side reached the final of the ODI World Cup. It transformed the game and gave women's cricket the deserved attention but it also perpetually put the team under the microscope.
The 2017 Big Bang catapulted the Indian side into the ICC trophy contenders category from the also-ran list in the eyes of the Indian fans and the run-up to every major campaign since then has been dominated by expectations and anxiousness. It's no different this time.
As women's cricket gets ready to make its debut at the Commonwealth Games (CWG), the hopes are for nothing less than gold from Harmanpreet Kaur and Co.
#TeamIndia captain @ImHarmanpreet speaks about the excitement to play in the @birminghamcg22 Commonwealth Games 👍 #B2022 pic.twitter.com/uOVnsKmwwU
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) July 23, 2022
To be honest, the Women in Blue have exceeded expectations (semi-finals in the 2018 T20 World Cup and final in 2020 edition) in recent years despite them being a product of a flawed ecosystem. There's one problem though. India or any other team hoping for the top prize have Australia blocking the road to the gold medal.
💬 💬 We are aiming for Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Games: #TeamIndia vice-captain @mandhana_smriti. 👍 👍#B2022 pic.twitter.com/7Tsovu3Y12 — BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) July 22, 2022
Read: Cricket's inclusion in CWG, more matches for women's teams great thing, says Anjum Chopra
Australia: Mighty favourites
Doesn't matter how biased you are, it's difficult to look past Australia as the favourites for the gold medal. They have won all the three World Cups in the last four years (2018, 2020 T20 World Cups and 2022 ODI World Cup). Just this mere stat is good enough to send chills down the spine of opposition teams.
To add to this dominance, the last time they lost a bilateral series was in 2017 against England. The prospect of becoming the first gold medallist should only add extra motivation to the all-conquering side led by Meg Lanning. They will have to make a few adjustments though. Coach Matthew Mott has left the team and star all-rounder Ellyse Perry isn't in the best of touch. But the rise of Alana King and Darcie Brown — both ODI World Cup winners — is just another sign of the depth that is available in the country and of a system that keeps churning out champions.
India's chances
Australia have the strongest claim for the gold but sport has a knack for swinging surprises when it's least expected. India have to believe that can happen at the CWG. Skipper Harmanpreet has already spoken about her team pursuing a "killer attitude" to create an identity of their own and for a side now stepping out of the shadows of stalwarts Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, they have enough motivation to lay down the marker.
India squad for CWG 2022: Top-heavy team looks short on lower-order firepower
Though how they start the tournament would be of extreme importance despite them being part of the so-called easier group. They are in Group A with Australia, Barbados and Pakistan, while Group B consists of Sri Lanka, England, New Zealand and South Africa. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals.
Sabbineni Meghana and Pooja Vastrakar tested positive ahead of CWG and while the former has already left for England, all-rounder Vastrakar is reportedly set to miss the first two matches against Australia and Pakistan. Vastrakar has established herself as an indispensable member of the side recently and is one of the three pacers India have picked for CWG. Her absence not only dents the pace department but also weakens the lower-order batting. In absence of Richa Ghosh, Vastrakar is the only pure hard-hitting lower-order batter that India have unless they decide to push a top-order batter down the lineup.
India's run rate has been on a constant rise and the inclusion of Yastika Bhatia, Meghana combined with the ball-hitting prowess of Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet and Vastrakar has put India in a comfortable place. The batting looks top-heavy, but if India manage to sort out lower-order issues, a medal shouldn't be a problem.
Other contenders
England, New Zealand and South Africa are other top contenders for a medal. Hosts England are blessed with a number of top-class players and are well capable of even winning the gold, but the big question is, do they know what it takes to get past Australia?
South Africa made it to the semi-finals of the 2022 ODI World Cup but they will be without Lizelle Lee, who has retired, and Marizanne Kapp, who is injured. Dane van Niekerk continues to be unavailable and that has seriously dented the team's strength. They will need the replacement players to produce their A game at the CWG.
A solid unit no doubt, New Zealand aren't always the best side in a big tournament and it's this reputation they would need to fight first to make a mark at the CWG.
Tournament details for India
India will begin their campaign against Australia on 29 July.
Fixtures:
India vs Australia: 29 July, 4.30 pm IST
India vs Pakistan: 31 July, 4.30 pm IST
India vs Barbados: 3 August, 11.30 pm IST
Team India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, S Meghana, Taniyaa Bhatia (Wk), Yastika Bhatia (Wk), Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Thakur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav, Harleen Deol, Sneh Rana.
Standby: Simran Dil Bahadur, Richa Ghosh, Poonam Yadav.
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