Women’s T20 World Cup: How India can finally win the trophy

The definitive image of India’s 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup was captain Harmanpreet Kaur falling just a few centimetres short of the crease, the bat in her hand jammed in the ground as Australian wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy swishes the bails off. That was the moment India’s World Cup dreams came crashing around them. Shocked into submission, a faltering Indian team was unable to get the 40 more required runs from 32 balls and fell five runs short of Australia’s score of 172/4 in the semi-final.

There but not quite. That has been the story of India’s women’s World Cup campaigns over the years. In the last three editions of the T20 World Cup, they have reached the semi-final or better but not quite managed to get their hands on the trophy. Kaur and her teammates will be looking to bury those ghosts as they gear up for the 2024 T20 World Cup, which will take place from 3-20 October.

“We have been working on mental strength for a long time,” the Indian captain said in a release by official broadcasters Star Sports earlier in September. “The last three-four overs are the most crucial. T20 cricket is not a small format, at the end of the day, you are playing 40 overs. In the last four-five overs, the team that is mentally strong wins the match. We have been focusing on this for a while. If we can remain mentally stable in those final five overs, we can execute what’s best for us.”

The tournament, which was earlier scheduled to take place in Bangladesh, was moved to the United Arab Emirates due to the political and social turmoil in Bangladesh. Dubai and Sharjah are the two venues for the 18-day event. The 2024 edition is also the last time that ten teams compete for the trophy, before the tournament, that began in 2009 with eight teams, expands to 12 sides in 2026.

Acknowledging the growing popularity of the women’s game around the world, the International Cricket Council has increased the prize money significantly. The total prize purse has shot up from US$2,450,000 to US$7,958,080. Meanwhile, the champions will take home $2.34 million, as compared to the $1 million awarded to the 2023 winners Australia.

Even as the financial stakes have increased, teams will be desperately plotting to knock Australia off their perch. The Australian team has dominated the tournament, winning six of the eight editions that have taken place so far. The only other teams to emerge champions were England in the inaugural 2009 World Cup and West Indies in 2019.

A star-studded Australian team will once again start the favourites. While they already have multiple World Cup winners like captain Healy, Meg Lanning and Tahlia McGrath in the squad, the Australians have added firepower to their bowling by bringing in fast bowlers Darcie Brown and Tayla Vlaeminck. The pitches in UAE are known to afford some bounce and the pace duo playing could feature together for the Aussies in an international format for the very first time.

While England have brought in fresh talent that did well in The Hundred, West Indies have opted for experience. Apart from captain Hayley Matthews and vice-captain Shemaine Campbelle, the West Indian line-up also includes Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin, who is coming out of retirement for this tournament. New Zealand's Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates have featured in every single T20 World Cup so far and set for their ninth appearance.

The Indian team is also stacked with talent and experience. Skipper Kaur is in her 15thyear in international cricket and will be playing her sixth successive T20 World Cup. With players like Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma in the fold, the Indian players have enough experience as individuals and as a team to take on the best in the world. And they will need every bit of it as they take on Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the group stage. Only two teams from each group will advance to the semi-final.

“There will be no easy games,” says former India captain Anjum Chopra, who has seen the game rise from obscurity in the country.

“We all know how good Australia is, so India has their task cut out there. New Zealand and Pakistan are also tough. We lost so Sri Lanka recently (Asia Cup final in July), so India will have to come out stronger to get that win back. We can’t take any of the teams lightly. I think that will actually help the Indian team. Because they know the moment they step foot in the tournament, they know they have to be at the top of their game.”

At a training camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, the Indian team tried to recreate the playing conditions expected in UAE. Apart from the bounce and the heat, with temperatures soaring into the late 30s during the day, the team will have to tackle every situation the whimsical format throws at them.

While the group stage will be relentless, the big stumbling block for India in major competitions has been the knockouts. The women’s team has reached the T20 World Cup semi-finals four times (2009, 2010, 2018, 2023) and the finals once in 2020 but returned empty-handed each time.

“What a team like Australia does well is seize the moment,” says Indian wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, who is featuring in her third T20 World Cup at the age of 20. “Be it a good catch or run out, they know how to use that opportunity and build momentum. This is what we need as well. That one magical moment, which we can use as foundation to build on.”

The Indian team is desperate to change its World Cup theme from heartbreak to hope.

Over the last five years or so, women’s cricket in India has undergone a massive transformation. The Board of Control for Cricket in India, which officially took over the women’s game in 2006, announced equal pay for its contracted men’s and women’s cricketers in 2022. The launch of the Women’s Premier League, which closely follows the format of the Indian Premier League, last year took the game to another level. But India is still missing a World Cup trophy, either in the 50 over or T20 format. Could it be the missing piece of the puzzle, a trigger that sparks a mass revolution?

“Winning a world cup in any year would have made a difference,” adds Chopra.

“However, if we do win the World Cup now it will be a massive boost to the women’s game. Apart from the celebration and accolades and financial remuneration. What it will do for the sport, is provide that focus, that confidence and the limelight. People will get to read and talk about it. People can think of this as a career. It will serve as an aspiration for the younger generation.”

The power of the World Cup can’t be underestimated. Especially since the women’s team has done all the grunt work, away from the spotlight for a few many years, to force a seat at the table. They have our attention.

India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajana Sajeevan.

Travelling Reserves: Uma Chetry (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Saima Thakor

2024 Women’s T20 World Cup teams:

Group A: Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
Group B: Bangladesh, England, Scotland, South Africa, West Indies

India’s Group Stage Games:

4 October: India vs New Zealand
6 October: India vs Pakistan
9 October: India vs Sri Lanka
13 October: India vs Australia