Unsettled India look to keep campaign alive in Manchester

More than half the group stage is done, and India are potentially one loss away from elimination. A month into this tour of England, there is still a lack of clarity on the best XI. The middle order is constantly reshuffled, the spin attack is hampered by Shreyanka Patil's injury, and the best pace duo remains uncertain.

Bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi defended the changes as a 'horses for courses' approach. Shafali Verma offered a more honest confession: "Jo acha khelega woh team mein rahega" (Those who play well will remain in the team).

With world dominance on a knife's edge, Harmanpreet Kaur evoked the spirit of November 2025 – when India revived their campaign after three successive losses in the 50-over World Cup. The same core is tasked to do an encore in unfamiliar English conditions.

After a day's break following the loss to South Africa, the team engaged in a long bonding activity – including Smriti Mandhana bowling and Renuka Thakur attempting to hit sixes.

Their revival journey starts at Old Trafford, where all three departments fell short three days ago. Their first challengers are Bangladesh, who have two wins in three games and are excited after their win against Pakistan.

While Australia looms as a threat, India can ill-afford a slip-up on Thursday.

When: Thursday, June 25, 2026, 2:30 PM Local Time / 7:00 PM IST

Where: India vs Bangladesh, Match 23, Old Trafford, Manchester

What to expect: Hot weather in Manchester. The match will be on the same surface India played South Africa.

India: Radha Yadav has been prolific against Bangladesh but hasn't played yet in this World Cup. With Shafali Verma as a sixth bowling option, India may bring Radha back. Jemimah Rodrigues could be pushed to No 3.

Probable XI: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Yastika Bhatia/Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charani, Nandni Sharma

Bangladesh: Expecting a slow surface, they will continue with their winning combination.

Probable XI: Dilara Akter, Juairiya Ferdous, Sharmin Akhter, Nigar Sultana, Sobhana Mostary, Ritu Moni, Shorna Akter, Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, Shanjida Akter, Marufa Akter

Key stats:

• Deepti Sharma is one wicket away from becoming the leading wicket-taker in Women's internationals
• Radha Yadav has dismissed Nigar Sultana four times in five T20I innings
• Harmanpreet Kaur needs 17 runs to become the first Indian batter to score 500 T20I runs against Bangladesh

Quotes:
"Whenever there is a bad day as a team, we know that the morale will be down. But the next day, we need to come together and motivate each other. We will take it day by day" – Shafali Verma

"The next two games are going to be very hard. We have won two matches, so if we win the next two, we will go to the semifinal" – Sobhana Mostary