Mithali Raj to lead India in 2013 ICC Women's World Cup

Batting mainstay Mithali Raj will lead a 15-member Indian women’s cricket team in the 10th ICC World Cup cricket tournament to be held in India next month.

The marquee event will be held at various venues across Mumbai from January 31 to February 17.

This will be Mithali’s fourth World Cup campaign – she was part of the national women’s World Cup side for the 2000, 2005 and 2009 editions.

The team has a fair sprinkling of experience with the seamer duo of Jhulan Goswami and Amita Sharma playing in their third world cup.

Exciting middle-order bat Harmanpreet Kaur and tweaker Gouher Sultana are playing in their second World Cup.

This is the third time that India is hosting the World Cup.

The country played host to the premier tournament way back in 1978 and later in 1997 – on both occasions Australia emerged triumphant.

India have some good memories from the 2008 World Cup in Australia, where the team took the third spot after putting it across hosts Australia in the play-off tie at Bankstown.

Interestingly, Indian women had also defeated Australia in the league phase at Sydney.

Indian eves have reached the final of the showpiece event only once at the 2005 edition in South Africa, where it finished second best to Australia.

For the stats-minded, Australia eves won the World Cup five times, while England women have laid their hands on the winning trophy three times. New Zealand won the World Cup once.

England are the defending champions having pipped New Zealand in the 2008 edition.

The summit clash of the tournament will be held at the CCI ground in Mumbai on February 17.

Hosts India will lock horns with against West Indies in the lung-opener at the Wankhede Stadium.

Squad: Mithali Raj (Captain), Harmanpreet Kaur, Jhulan Goswami, Amita Sharma, Gouhar Sultana, M Thirushkamini, Sulakshana Naik, Ekta Bist, Mona Meshram, Rasanara Parwin, Niranjana Nagarajan, Punam Raut, Reema Malhotra, Karuna Jain, Shubhalaxmi Sharma.