3 Indian women cricketers who can compete for the men's team
The popularity of women's cricket has scaled new peaks over the last few years. The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup that was held in New Zealand earlier this year was an apt reflection of the same, with crowd turnouts vindicating just how far the sport has come.
It's also a reflection of the quality of the sport, and one can only wonder about the extent to which it could escalate with a women's IPL in the works.
A video of the legendary Jhulan Goswami bowling to KL Rahul in the nets of the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru went viral on Monday (July 18). It makes us wonder how fascinating a mixed-gender cricket match would be, should it ever happen to take place.
On that note, we look at three players in the Indian women's team who could hypothetically make the cut in the men's team.
#1 Harmanpreet Kaur
India's captain Harmanpreet Kaur is easily one of the biggest modern-day superstars that the game has seen. Known to step up during clutch moments with the bat, her slog sweeps are amongst the best in the business, including the men's game as well.
Harmanpreet's unbeaten 171 against Australia in the semi-finals of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2017 is quite simply one of the greatest knocks in the sport, regardless of gender. Given her canny off-spinners with the ball in hand, she is an invaluable all-round commodity in today's era.
The Indian men's team is dependent on the all-round duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya to round off the balance of the side. In a hypothetical world, Harmanpreet's presence across formats would add further wings to the XI and provide it with an enviable balance.
#2 Smriti Mandhana
Harmanpreet's deputy in the national setup is a bona fide superstar in her own right. Few batters are as elegant and textbook as Smriti Mandhana is, with the opener having established herself as a potential great in the making.
While Mandhana is capable of running away with the game on her own, she also has a penchant for big runs. Her stunning century against Australia in the one-off Test last year was a testament to the fact that she's as versatile a batter as they come.
The Indian men's team could do with an additional left-handed batter, given that there's a heavy reliance on Rishabh Pant. Imagine Pant and Mandhana sharing a partnership in the middle - wouldn't we want that hypothetical world to come to reality!
#3 Shikha Pandey
How Shikha Pandey has found herself out of the national setup in recent times remains a bizarre mystery. The seamer is one of the most seasoned names doing the rounds and with Jhulan Goswami in the twilight of her career, the women's team could do with a player of Pandey's skill set and experience.
Her masterful delivery to castle Alyssa Healy in a T20 last year became a rage on social media, even being dubbed the 'ball of the century' across a number of quarters.
Her ability to strike the ball long also adds to her value as a cricketer. She boasts of two half-centuries in women's ODIs as well.
Pandey would be an excellent fit should a crossover between the men's and women's cricketers ever take place. Speaking of the need for batting depth in the men's ODI setup, here's someone who could have sorted that out in a hypothetical scenario.