NEWS
Follow UsDiana Edulji believes openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma hold the key for India as they look to win their maiden World Cup. The Women's T20 World Cup will kick start on October 3 in the UAE, and the former India skipper believes that the opening duo will have to put a price on their wickets.
"The biggest bets are the two openers, Shefali and Smriti. They have to put a price on their wicket. The World Cup is fully dependent on them," Edulji said during an event in Mumbai.
Edulji also emphasised on how crucial the roles of spinners such as Deepti Sharma and Shreyanka Patil will be. Along with her bowling prowess, Deepti will also be entrusted to finish the innings batting down the order.
"Our strength is our spinners. Deepti Sharma has been in form since 2017, she will be important for us in the final overs. We also have Shreyanka Patil, so, we have plenty of spinners. We have got more than 5-6 bowlers, so there should not be any problem," Edulji said.
Edulji, who has played, who has played 20 Tests and 34 One-Day Internationals (ODI) for India, also believes that there are no favourites going into the marquee event and said it will be an open World Cup.
"This is an open world cup, South Africa looks strong, Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu is in good form, Bangladesh is causing upsets everywhere, England, Australia, and New Zealand are all looking good and they are playing cricket consistently," she said.
"The support staff might have learnt the lessons from their previous World Cups, and they will hopefully not commit any further mistakes. The players are playing in Big Bash and Hundred. BCCI is giving them all the facilities."
India begin their Women's T20 World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Dubai on October 4.
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