Women's Asia Cup 2022: 3 Indian players to watch out for
The Indian women's cricket team will begin their Asia Cup 2022 campaign against Sri Lanka on Saturday, October 1. All matches of the tournament will be played at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Bangladesh.
India finished as runners-up in the previous edition of the tournament, which took place in 2018, losing to Bangladesh in the final. The six-time champions will be on the hunt for their seventh Asia Cup title.
Harmanpreet Kaur's side will start the tournament as the favorites with plenty of big names in the line-up. As the team gears up for their opening contest, we take a look at three players who could take the tournament by storm.
#1 Deepti Sharma
If anyone didn't know about Deepti Sharma earlier, they sure do now after the events that took place last week. That controversy aside, the Indian all-rounder has been a permanent fixture in this Indian side for a number of years now and has plenty of experience.
The left-handed batter, who also bowls off-spin, is a valuable asset to the Indian side in both departments. She's a flexible option for the captain, not only with the bat but also with her ability to bowl in any phase of the game.
With 643 runs and 68 wickets at an economy rate of 6.20 in 69 matches, there's little doubt that Deepti is a priceless asset to any side she is a part of. With everything that's unraveled in the past week, the 25-year-old will look to block the noise out and continue to churn out good performances for her side.
#2 Jemimah Rodrigues
Much like Deepti, Jemimah Rodrigues has been a feature of this Women in Blue team for a long time. However, the Mumbai batter has occasionally found herself out of the squad. She was not selected for the World Cup in New Zealand this year but has made a strong return to the side since.
The highly talented batter put in impressive performances in the series against Sri Lanka and in the Commonwealth Games earlier this year. She continued her fine form in the Women's T20 Challenge and the Hundred as well. A wrist injury kept her out of the recent England tour.
Having recovered from the injury, Rodrigues is back in the side, which will be a big boost for the team. She is a bonafide match-winner and is regarded as someone who relishes playing on the big stage.
Her batting position in the playing XI will be interesting to watch. After being shifted to a different position, she could be back in the No. 3 role if the team management decides to go down that route.
#3 Richa Ghosh
There are a few exciting prospects emerging on the international circuit and Richa Ghosh is right up there with the best. The 19-year-old wicketkeeper from Siliguri has already played 17 matches for India, scoring 240 runs at a strike rate of 117.64.
In a weird game of musical chairs, Ghosh was dropped from the T20I squad and replaced by Yastika Bhatia. She is now back in the side to replace Yastika, while Taniya Bhatia retains her spot as the reserve keeper.
The snub from the selection committee worked fairly well for the youngster, who returned as a much-improved wicketkeeper, evidence of which was seen in the recent series against England.
Richa provides India with another explosive option in the middle order as someone who can take the bowlers on. For the sake of comparisons, she has the attacking potential similar to someone like Rishabh Pant. She has the potential to be a match-winner in her own right.