India pin faith on settled core for home World Cup

The India Women's squad for the home ODI World Cup has been announced, with a settled 15-member unit chosen for the tournament starting on September 30.

Squad Breakdown and Key Talking Points

Openers

• Pratika Rawal has cemented her place at the top, leaving no reason to revisit past combinations.
• Rawal has accumulated 703 runs in her ODI career, with an average of 54.07, including a century and five fifties.

Top Order

• Smriti Mandhana and Harleen Deol feature in the top four, with Deol's slow-starting ways drawing some criticism.
• Jemimah Rodrigues has adapted well to the no. 5 role, showing tremendous flexibility.

Middle Order

• Richa Ghosh continues to hold her place as the frontline wicketkeeping choice, despite Yastika Bhatia's recent exploits.
• Deepti Sharma and Amanjot Kaur offer control with the ball and stability with the bat.
• Sneh Rana and Radha Yadav provide great batting depth and stability to the middle and lower order.

Bowling Department

• The bowling department has been plagued by frequent injury setbacks to frontline bowlers.
• Amanjot Kaur's comeback has plugged a crucial gap in the bowling department, providing a reliable seam-bowling all-rounder.
• Renuka Thakur's return from injury adds experience to the pace department, particularly with the new ball.
• The Thakur-Amanjot pairing brings balance to the XI, allowing for both batting depth and a spin-heavy attack.