3 major takeaways from the Indian women's squad for Asian Games 2023
The BCCI announced the men's and women's squads for the 19th edition of the Asian Games on Friday (14 July). The tournament will be played from 19-28 September in Hangzhou, China in the T20 format.
The women's squad, in particular, saw plenty of changes from their last series against Bangladesh. Having won that series 2-1, Harmanpreet Kaur will be leading the side again with Smriti Mandhana as her deputy.
The main focus is on Richa Ghosh as she returns to the side after being dropped for the Bangladesh tour. Yastika Bhatia was her replacement as first-choice wicketkeeper for that tour, but the left-hander misses out on a place in the squad for the Asian Games.
Some of the calls have been questionable, to say the least. So, we're going to look at three of the major takeaways from the Indian women's squad that has been announced for the Asian Games.
#1 India needs consistency with their selections
TEAM - Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Amanjot Kaur, Devika Vaidya, Anjali Sarvani, Titas Sadhu, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Minnu Mani, Kanika Ahuja, Uma Chetry (wk), Anusha Bareddy twitter.com/BCCIWomen/stat…
The Women in Blue have been producing some big results against the top sides, even in the major tournaments. However, a major trophy continues to elude them. Some part of that might be down to the lack of consistency in their selections.
Pooja Vastrakar and Harleen Deol are two players that played a part in the recently concluded T20I series against Bangladesh. They have both been dropped down to standby options for the Asian Games, while Yastika Bhatia misses out altogether.
With Richa Ghosh and Rajeshwari Gayakwad coming back into the squad, India needs to start being consistent with their core group. This is necessary to give themselves a real chance if they are to get over that last hurdle of winning a major tournament.
#2 Kanika Ahuja and Titas Sadhu might be in line for their international debut
With the first edition of the Women's Premier League, there were expectations that it would help the Indian women's team unearth some gems. And that, it sure has. A certain Shreyanka Patil has been making waves but she doesn't make the cut for the senior squad just yet.
Her RCB teammate Kanika Ahuja sure does though. The all-rounder could not only be a handy addition to the side but could also be the next big thing in Indian cricket.
Meanwhile, Titas Sadhu, who was picked up by the Delhi Capitals, didn't really feature in the tournament. However, the U19 star made her mark at the U19 World Cup earlier this year, with her ability to crank up some decent pace.
#3 Lack of experience in the pace unit
The squad announced for the Asian Games does leave plenty of questions unanswered, but the most baffling bit is how India's pace battery might be shaping up.
India's best bowler in the last 12 months or so, Renuka Singh Thakur is nowhere near the squad and neither is Shikha Pandey, the most experienced pacer in the country right now.
What makes the selection even more confusing is that Pooja Vastrakar, who led the pace unit in Bangladesh, is a standby player for the Asian Games. Anjali Sarvani and Titas Sadhu are the only pacers in the squad, while Amanjot Kaur can contribute as well.