Imagining India women's playing 11 for the 2028 Olympics ft. Smriti Mandhana
The 2024 Olympics in Paris has come to a close, and it marks the last edition in a century that did not feature cricket as an event. With the next edition in 2028 marking the sport's return in the schedule, excitement is already bubbling in the cricketing world.
The Women in Blue are no strangers to playing at such events, as they participated in the Commonwealth and the Asian Games, returning with medals to their names. Given the rapid rise of women's cricket in India in recent times, the Women in Blue will certainly be favorites to bring back an Olympic medal as well, potentially even a gold medal if their exponential growth manages to break the Australia-England duopoly.
Team India batter Jemimah Rodrigues shared her excitement for the next edition of the Olympics on social media.
"Loved wearing this current Indian Olympic jersey. Can't wait to play Cricket for India at the Olympics soon!! Man, what a feeling that'd be! Also our Indian athletes have shown tremendous passion, commitment, persistence and grit! Win or lose, we're proud of you," she wrote on Instagram
On that note, let us take a look at how the Indian women's team will be shaped up by then.
Top-Order - Smriti Mandhana (C), Shafali Varma, Yastika Bhatia
Given how young the current Indian women's setup is, there is unlikely to be a huge number of changes for the 2028 Olympics, unless drastic circumstances occur.
In four years' time, current women's skipper Harmanpreet Kaur will be 39 years old, and it might be a tall ask for her to be playing at the highest level at that age. As a result, current vice-captain Smriti Mandhana is likely to be in charge of the proceedings in 2028.
Although Shafali Verma has been inconsistent at times, she is likely to remain India's first-choice opener in the years to come, continuing her solid chemistry with Smriti Mandhana at the top of the order. She is currently only 20 years old, which makes the age a non-factor.
The middle order will be an area will have to address in the coming years. The already difficult task at present is bound to be further complicated once Harmanpreet Kaur steps away in time. Yastika Bhatia is a promising candidate who is primarily an opener, but has played at No.3 in the past for the national team and in the domestic circuit.
She has not played competitive cricket in a while due to injury, but she has got age on her side to make a comeback and cement the No.3 position down. Furthermore, the team could use a left-handed option in the batting lineup.
Middle Order - Dayalan Hemalatha, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma
Replacing Harmanpreet Kaur in the middle order will be no mean task. It might prove to be the most realistic position to target for the upcoming talent, but if Dayalan Hemalatha continues her strong start in international cricket, she could do well to hold onto the spot.
While she has moved up the order in recent times for both franchise and country, she started off as a middle-order batter, and is capable of being the link between the top and the middle order.
Jemimah Rodrigues is likely to be the long-term No.5 moving forward after her power-hitting and finishing ability has been up a notch in recent times. Also, by the time 2028 hits, she will be among the most experienced members in the side, and could potentially be the vice-captain as well.
Much like Shafali Verma, wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh is only 20 years of age, and there is a high chance that she remains the first-choice wicket-keeper across formats for years to come. While India do have a decent backup in the form of Uma Chetry, the youngster is likely to have the upper hand.
Deepti Sharma is already one of the most important players in the lineup due to her all-round ability, consistency, impact and the balance that she brings onto the table. Her inclusion comes across as a no-brainer for potentially India women's biggest assignment to date.
Lower Order - Shreyanka Patil, Radha Yadav, Renuka Singh, Pooja Vastrakar
The emerging Shreyanka Patil has seen a meteoric rise so far, and she could well be performing at her peak in 2028. Radha Yadav completes the spin attack by bringing in her variety as a left-arm spinner.
As far as the pace attack is concerned, the current duo of Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar have shown enough promise to remain as the first-choice options for the coming years. However, their place is arguably not cemented given their inconsistency, as a result, should any young seamer make a breakthrough in the coming years, they could potentially break into the side to take the new ball responsibility.