Women's T20 World Cup: India begin chase for elusive title with opener against Pakistan

 CAPE TOWN: India's run for an elusive Women's T20 World Cup title will begin again when they open their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town on Sunday.

With a historic victory in the ICC Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup coming in South Africa last month, Harmanpreet Kaur & Co have got the motivation to go one step further from their runners-up finish in the 2020 T20 World Cup and get their hands on the trophy.

Over the years, India versus Pakistan clashes bring about a sense of anticipation and excitement among viewers as well as provided some of the most historical and thrilling moments in the game of cricket.

But in the last few days, the availability of Smriti and Harmanpreet have emerged as areas of concern. Harmanpreet had picked a left-shoulder injury during the loss in the tri-series final to South Africa while Smriti had apparently picked an injury to her left middle finger in the warm-up match against Australia.

If India are to go all the way to the trophy, they will need Shafali, Richa and Jemimah Rodrigues to come good consistently plus support mainstays Harmanpreet and Smriti. Deepti has to continue her good form with bat and ball, which has been stellar of late.

With the ball, the roles of Renuka Thakur, Pooja Vastrakar and Shikha Pandey will be key in the fast-bowling department. In terms of spinners, Deepti will need Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Devika Vaidya and part-time spinners, Harmanpreet and Shafali, to come good.(IANS)

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