New Delhi: Indian Women’s Cricket Team will create history as they set out to participate in the Commonwealth Games under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur in Birmingham.
The Board Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian Women’s squad for the Commonwealth games. The mega event will include eight teams, playing 16 games at the Edgbaston ground with finalists receiving the honorable medal.
The Indian side is placed in Group A along with Australia, Pakistan and Barbados. Group B includes England, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and New Zealand.
The matches are expected to be high-intensity as India will face Australia on 29th July at Edgbaston.
In-form batsman Smriti Mandhana while talking about representing India in Commonwealth games said that “We have all watched Olympics and Commonwealth Games when the Indian Flags goes up higher and we hear the national anthem. I think everyone knows that feeling and we are definitely aiming for gold.”
Cricket was earlier featured in 1998 with the Men’s team participating in ODI Games. South Africa claimed gold by beating Australia in the finals.
Talking about the importance of this tournament for Women’s Cricket in India, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur added “To show the capability you have. So definitely if we get to play in such tournaments it’s good for women’s cricket. Yes, having women’s cricket in a multi-nation event can prove to be a game changer.”
Indian Women’s Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, S. Meghana, Taniyaa Sapna Bhatia (Wk), Yastika Bhatia (Wk), Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Thakur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav, Harleen Deol, Sneh Rana.