List of Indian players to watch out for in The HundredÂ
The Hundred has a few Indian women players who are set to make their mark on the world stage. It won't be long before the women take center stage at Kennington Oval to kick things off in the ECB's new format tournament, The Hundred. The Oval Invincibles are set to take on the Manchester Originals in the inaugural match of the tournament.
The latest and shortest format in cricket has already created a steer around the world with its tweaks to the rules of the game. The aim of this tournament is to attract more people to watch cricket with a twist of this format that is in place to set up some enthralling games.
For cricket-crazy fans in India, The Hundred might not have a bunch of their cricketers playing in the tournament but the inclusion of five Indian women cricketers (verma" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, and Jemimah Rodrigues) in the tournament sets things up nicely.
Take a look at the list of Indian players to keep an eye out for in the upcoming tournament.
1.Shafali Verma
The 17-year old will head into the tournament on the back of a pretty impressive performance in the recent series against England in all three formats. The Indian batter will play for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred, alongside the likes of Amy Jones and Georgie Elwiss.
Verma had some memorable encounters in the recent series against the likes of Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole. While the short ball ploy worked against her on a few occasions, she'll be ready to dish out some punishment and make every ball count.
In WT20I's, Shafali has scored 665 runs at an average of 27.70 with a strike rate of 145. The world's number one batswoman in T20 is no stranger to the shorter formats of the game and will be rearing the chance to leave her mark in this inaugural tournament.
2.Harmanpreet Kaur
The Indian Women's captain in the T20I's was drafted by the Manchester Originals and will be the first player from this list we see in action as the tournament gets underway. The Indian middle-order batter has played in a few leagues around the world and has some experience in that regard.
However, Kaur has been struggling for runs with the Indian side. After struggling in longer formats, she showed glimpses of the potential she possesses in the T20 series against England and will be looking to build on that momentum to get back into form.
As a player who thrives on playing the big knocks for her side, Harmanpreet will want to set a reminder to her doubters that she's still got enough left up her sleeve. With the likes of Mignon du Preez, Lizelle Lee, Kate Cross and Sophie Ecclestone alongside her, Kaur and Manchester Originals look a dangerous side on paper.
3.Smriti Mandhana
Much like her opening partner in the Indian team, Mandhana is another who has impressed everyone with her elegant strokeplay and panache while batting. The two aren't far away in terms of player rankings either. While Verma holds the top-spot for women's in T20I's, Mandhana recently moved to her career best, third-spot in the rankings after the England series.
Drafted by Southern Brave in The Hundred, the Indian opener is expected to partner Danielle Wyatt at the top of the order. With the likes of Stafanie Taylor, Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley, the Braves have a formidable batting line-up.
Like her international skipper, Mandhana too has some experience playing in domestic leagues around the world. The Indian opener will look to carry her fine from the previous series into this tournament and will be one to watch out for.