Indian women's cricket team

ICC Women’s World Cup : Top 5 Indian Players Who Can Bring Home The Cup

India is going to go all out to win their maiden women’s cricket world cup in New Zealand. They were the runners up in the last edition of Women’s World Cup in 2017. The Indian women’s cricket team had put up a heroic performance through out the last world cup in England before losing the finals to the hosts at Lord’s by 9 runs.

They were defeated but not disgraced and from that moment Indian team’s journey has only been upwards. They have been playing fantastic cricket consistently. In last few years India has discovered and nurtured a lot of raw talent like Shefali Verma while veterans like Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami have given this team that much needed direction and purpose.

Let’s have a look at top 5 women cricketers who are likely to play a crucial role in India winning the ICC women’s world cup trophy. Here we go –

Mithali Raj

Mithali-Raj
Mithali Raj is one of the greatest players in the game

India’s greatest female batter, Mithali Raj has earned a reputation for herself as India’s greatest female batter. In her illustrious career spanning more than two decades, she has scored the most runs in the game. She is the only Indian captain – male or female – to have led the side to two 50-over World Cup finals.

A lot of credit to her success goes to her regimented upbringing in an army family. Her footwork adds grace to her batting style and makes her the queen of covers. During the 2017 ODI World Cup, her 409-run tally in the tournament was second only to England opener Tammy Beaumont’s. She had contributed with three fifties and a century were vital to India’s runners-up finish.

Harmanpreet Kaur

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Harmanpreet is known for her explosive batting style

India still remembers Harmanpreet’s impressive strokeplay during her unbeaten 171 in the 2017 World Cup semi-final. That innings had earned her the coveted title of “Harmanpreet Thor”. The effortlessness of her action makes it a thing of beauty as well as brutality. She has got every stroke that matters – slog, conventional, paddle, reverse, to win a match entirely on her own.

Her batting style is an expression of her identity – fearless and unpredictable. She is a rare combination of aggression, power and a strategic mind to outplay the opposition.

Jhulan Goswami

Jhulan-Goswami
Jhulan Goswami brings a lot of experience the team

Jhulan Goswami is arguably one of the greatest fast bowlers in the women’s cricket. She has been playing for more than fifteen years and her exemplary leadership skills comes as an added advantage on the field. The highest wicket-takes in women’s cricket, she has the ability to smash the stumps of any player with her lethal Yorkers.

She has played a lot of memorable innings as a batter lower down the order which makes her one of the most diverse players in the game. In the ongoing ICC women’s world cup, Jhulan is definitely going to use her rich experience and bowling skills to destroy the opposition and create chances for India to win the world cup.

Shefali Verma

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Shefali plays explosive innings at the top of the innings

Shefali Verma is an Indian Women Cricketer who belongs to Rohtak in Haryana – a state in north India. She is the youngest woman to play for India in a T20I Match. Shefali Verma is the youngest woman cricketer to score a half-century in International Cricket. She has played a lot of explosive innings as an opening batter in the Indian women’s cricket team.

Her fearless batting style gives the Indian team that much-needed momentum at the start of the innings. The teenager’s strike rate of 76 is a massive boost for India. Her ability to dominate bowlers in the power play is an X factor for India in the showpiece event.

Smriti Mandhana

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Smriti Mandhana is an expert in run chase

Smriti Mandhana was awarded the ICC Cricketer of the year award in 2021. The left-hand batter scored 855 in 21 matches across formats and solidified her reputation at the top. Mandhana has the second-best strike rate for India batters. She also has an exceptional track record in run-chases is phenomenal.

This will be the second 50-over World Cup for the southpaw. She will be looking forward to playing a few innings during the tournament that bring the team closer to winning the coveted trophy – ICC women’s world cup, something that they had missed by a whisker in the last edition in England.