India women’s team captain Smriti Mandhana on Thursday said heavyweight opener Shafali Verma will “definitely” remain in the squad after being dropped due to poor results last year On the playing field.
Smriti leads the Indian team in the absence of Harmanpreet Kaur, who was rested during the three-match ODI series against Ireland, with a walk Resting with Renuka Thakur.
Shafali, known for her penchant for chasing bowlers from the outset, was left out of the squad for the ODI series against Australia in December.
“Harman has been rested, that’s very obvious. Shafali was not in the team in the last two or three one-day series. Pratika (Raval) was in her absence in the last series. The situation has been really good but Shafali has definitely achieved a lot in domestic cricket so she is definitely in the plans and I am really happy that she has come back and achieved these results,” said Sim. Reedy said on the eve of the series opener.
Smriti said the team is looking forward to doing well with the resources at her disposal. She said: “As a team we don’t have to think about things that aren’t there because we want to go out and have a positive mentality of a balanced team. The girls that have come in have been good too. We don’t think about it. Things that don’t exist.”
Read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: South Africa sports minister joins call for boycott of Afghanistan cricket
“While India did not perform well against Australia, a strong performance against West Indies in the last series gave the team confidence going into the match against Ireland.
“We performed well in the series against West Indies: 2-1 in the T20I series, 3-0 in the one-day series. Of course, the last series gave us a lot of confidence and different batsmen were playing well in different situations. The timing was good, especially against West Indies, and our bowling attack was on point, so hopefully we can keep up the form.”
In the absence of players like Harmanpreet and Renuka, the series against little-known Ireland is a perfect platform for young players to impress and head into India later this year. Strive for qualification before the ODI World Cup.
Also Read: IND-W vs IRE-W: Mandhana-led India look to continue dominance in first women’s bilateral series against Ireland
“Renuka and Harman are both very important members and they have played their roles brilliantly. Of course, because they are rested, it is an opportunity for the other two young girls.
“Whoever gets this opportunity, I’m sure they’ll try to grab it with both hands,” the skipper said.
While Ireland may not be the toughest opponent, the lack of knowledge about the visiting team makes this series interesting.
“We haven’t played many games against Ireland. This is almost a new team. Of course, we will continue to play against Australia.” The Indian team has faced a variety of opponents in recent times and the stand-in captain is very satisfied with it.
“The ICC tournament system gives us the opportunity to play all the teams in a three-year cycle. Ireland, we haven’t played a lot of cricket against them but they have played some exciting cricket in the last year or two.
Also read: Guptill ‘disappointed’ that his international career is over, says I could have contributed more to New Zealand cricket
“It’s always exciting to play new opponents sometimes and I’m sure we wouldn’t have looked at them any other way. Like I said, it’s important for us to go out and give our best.”
She added, “Every time we get a chance, I think in the last four to five series in India, we have played in different conditions, which is great for women’s cricket. We are going to different places “I think this is a challenge.” Mandana also said that the team will continue to work hard to become one of the best defensive teams in the world.
“We do defensive drills every time. There’s nothing like, oh, there’s an area of concern. That’s our routine. As a team, we’re very focused on the day-to-day.
“We are thinking about batting and bowling. The third skill is fielding, which is very important for team performance.
“So, as much as we try to keep our efforts off the field, I’m glad you can see that. We really want to be one of the best defensive teams in the world. That’s what we’re trying to do, Hope it will be successful.”
