Here's Why The 2023 Women's T20 World Cup Is an Ideal Chance For India To Lift The Elusive Crown

Fundamentally speaking, common sporting logic and the laws of Cricket dictate that the team that sports the perfect build-up or balance including useful experience and youthful exuberance should prevail in the end.

But what happens when one applies the above to the Indian Women's Cricket team?

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Truly speaking, the only thing that appears to be somewhat of a hindrance to the Indian women's team contesting in the T20 World Cup 2023 is the absence of two of its most cherished and endlessly experienced campaigners- Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami.

But like with every international side that builds up over time, there are those that walk into the sunset, leaving behind a void that is ultimately filled with the right kind of talent.

The retirement of Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, legends of the game, besides being a huge loss to Indian cricket, was a matter of time. But such big exits have also affected India's rivals.

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If one speaks of the Pakistan women's T20 side, they are surely going to miss the legendary Sana Mir. Ditto for the hosts, Proteas women and for defending world champions Australia, where the absence of the great Mignon du Preez, Elyse Villani and Rachael Haynes, respectively, may surely come into play.

But then like with every great sport, huge absences also merit and most noticeably dictate appropriate fillips.

The side being led by Harmanpreet Kaur well and truly seems a powerful unit, one sporting world-class talents that can, on their day, challenge the authority of the best in the business.

With rising fast-bowling talents like Pooja Vastrakar and more remarkably, Renuka Singh Thakur, the T20I side is nowhere short of firepower. Together, they account for 51 T20I dismissals. Renuka's ability to get the ball in at an awkward angle has, over the course of the last half a year, troubled the best names operating at the highest annals of the game.

Moreover, the arrival of Anjali Sarvani, the left-arm medium pacer who debuted against Australia a little ago has added more depth to the seam bowling line-up.

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Though, no piece of news could be as uplifting as the return of Shikha Pandey to the side, the veteran right-arm seam bowler with an experience of nearly 60 T20Is to her name.

Richa Ghosh's presence (427 runs from 30 T20Is) as a promising wicket-keeping batter has added new depth to a batting order where the number 6 and 7 can produce fireworks with the bat.

Meanwhile, the spin bowling cauldron- that includes the likes of Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Radha Yadav, the last two being genuine turners of the ball- can always trouble a mighty opponent. That they've collectively played a few world cup tournaments before adds the vital component of big-stage experience. Furthermore, that both Gayakwad and Yadav are very fine fielders of their own bowling will probe India's challengers at the soon-to-begin ICC tournament.

But then, in a batting-obsessed country, what could be better other than noting that in Smriti Mandhana- 2651 runs from 110 T20Is- and Harmanpreet Kaur- 2,940 runs form 146 T20I's- India possess two of the finest strikers of the white-ball?

Mandhana with her leave-nothing-to-the-imagination attitude coupled with the ability to time the ball beautifully makes her such a dangerous customer with the bat. Likewise, possessing the herculean ability to hit runs at just about any stage of the contest and deposit the white ball into the stands without much ado, Harmanpreet's form will largely dictate India's chances at the preeminent series.

If one fancied estimating the capability of the current firmament of Indian Women's white-ball cricket, then Harmanpreet and Smriti's batting brilliance could form the necessary barometer.

Both being big match performers with plenty of runs against world-class attacks will largely determine how might India progress ahead.

This is precisely where they'll be tested for what seems to be true is that barring England, the only other force that can stop India is Australia.

Twin sides with massive talents at their disposal!

Surely, how Harmanpreet, the Indian captain and her deputy, Smriti deploy resources to curb what are essentially manic forces in the women's game- think Sciver, Brunt, Wyatt on the one hand and Perry, Lanning, Mooney, Healy on the other- will largely shape Indian cricket's destiny in this tournament of epic proportions.

England and Australia aren't mighty forces operating at the highest level for nothing; they are an arsenal of sheer talent and wizardry that are lauded for the ability to drain out their opponents. You are almost immediately under pressure when confronting these sides blessed with mighty depth and renowned for imposing pressure from the word go.

Yet, at the same time, what'll hopefully further compel India to outdo the odds is how close they've come in the recent past at clinching the crown and just how distant they eventually remained from going all the way.

Mighty claim? Random punt? Anything but.

In 2016, India exited at the group stage in what was a forgettable outing. But in the T20 World cup editions hence, they lifted their game and improved endlessly, once and for all.

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In 2018, the Mithali-led side entered the semis against England but eventually lost by 8 wickets. It was a comprehensive defeat that stung for a while.

But in 2020, they came the closest they had ever got to the world cup crown, playing the finals versus the Aussies though losing it by 85 runs.

Going by the recent form unless historical occurrences serve really nothing, India will ideally reach the semis and then save the best for the big day.

In so doing, cliched as it may sound, every member of the team will have to play well, instead of leaving the outcome of a contest at the behest of a single talent's ability.

It can't be Mandhana bats well and Gayakwad picks the big wickets with the others in the well-rounded unit flunking on any given day.

What augurs well for India is the massive communication between the players; even a novice can determine that theirs is a close-knit unit.

What needs to happen now is for it to become a T20 world cup winning one.

May composure and thoughtfulness instead of just sticking to the wham-bam DNA of the format do it for India.

A massive challenge beckons and a nation awaits the end result.