T20 World Cup looms large over India A women tour of Australia

The Women’s T20 World Cup was supposed to start in Bangladesh in less than two months. However, the political instability and violence in the nation have made the International Cricket Council (ICC) reconsider its decision. 

Despite that, teams have continued to prepare for the upcoming World Cup. The India A women, captained by Minnu Mani, are currently on tour to Australia, where they will play three T20s, three 50-over, and one four-day game. 

The senior side still have to sort out a few spots in their prospective squad for the T20 World Cup, and this series is the only opportunity they have to do that. No international matches are scheduled for the Indian senior women before the World Cup in October. Players like Sajeevan Sajana would hope for a strong performance here, as it could guarantee them a spot in India’s T20 World Cup squad yet again. 

However, keeping the World Cup aside, this is an excellent opportunity for some of the domestic Indian players in the squad to establish themselves firmly on the bench for the senior side. Meanwhile, Australia A women are looking stacked. 

Here are the things to look forward to in this India A Women tour of Australia:

Who will nail that number 3 spot for the senior side?

Dayalan Hemalatha failed to impress at the crucial number three position in the batting order, and now, it’s a spot in the Indian team that waits to be claimed. Uma Chetry, the 22-year-old wicketkeeper from Assam, looked full of intent in the only innings she got to bat in the recently concluded Asia Cup. She has the aggressive game coach Amol Muzumdar and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur have been looking to find in their number three. 

Kiran Navgire, who made her name with her big-hitting ability in domestic competitions and the Women’s Premier League (WPL), is another candidate who can claim the spot if she can marry consistency and better off-side play with her high-ceiling six-hitting ability. 

Shweta Sehrawat, the squad's vice-captain, can also challenge for this spot. With some key performances in the WPL, she has already shown that she’s well-equipped to face international-level bowlers. In fact, her impressive striking ability makes her a strong contender for that number three spot as well. 

Look out for all the three players and their performances. This is a solid three-way battle. 

Also read: India A Women tour of Australia 2024: All squads, full schedule, where to watch, fantasy, and more

Time for Tanuja Kanwar to claim her spot

Left-arm spinner Kanwar debuted for the senior side in the 2024 Women’s Asia Cup and impressed with her economical bowling until Chamari Athapaththu took her down in the final. 

She’ll be up against a well-endowed Australian batting lineup with Tahlia McGrath and other well-known Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) performers like Nicole Faltum, Maddy Darke, Katie Mack, etc. With Radha Yadav slipping off in the recent games she played, Kanwar has a great chance here to perform strongly in the white ball games and overtake Radha for that World Cup spot. 

She might also have to compete with Mannat Kashyap, another talented left-arm spinner who would also be looking to make her mark at this level. 

Who are the other Indian players to look forward to

You can’t go further than Shubha Satheesh in this regard. A very solid left arm top order who can also bowl medium pace? That’s a commodity as rare as a naturally occurring diamond in Indian women’s cricket, and Satheesh has already shown her quality as a batter by hitting a 69 on Test debut against England. 

Apart from her, Sayali Satghare is the other pace-bowling all-rounder in the squad. She debuted in WPL 2024 as a concussion substitute and has consistently performed for Mumbai in the domestic circuit. 

Pacers Shabnam Shakil (her participation is subject to fitness) and S Yashasri were part of the Indian team that won the inaugural Women’s U-19 World Cup and are key members of the UP Warriorz setup in the WPL. They have pace and bounce, and it would be great to see them bowl on Australian pitches, which would suit their bowling style. 

Who are the Australians to keep an eye on

The Aussie pace attack is full of fire. Tayla Vlaeminck (in the picture above) and Tess Flintoff are some of the fastest women pacers in the world at the moment, and both would look to put on a solid show and confirm their selection in the Australian T20 World Cup squad. 

Apart from that, expect WBBL performers like Katie Mack, Tahlia Wilson, and Nicole Faltum to target the inexperienced Indian bowlers. Tahlia McGrath is the skipper for the white-ball leg of the tour, and keeping the progression of Australian captaincy in mind, a good job here can solidify her claims to be the next skipper after Alyssa Healy. 

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