Here's What You Need To Know About The Women In Blue Ahead Of The World Cup
How well do you know the women's cricket team?
You always keep tabs on Virat Kohli's Twitter handle, MS Dhoni's Instagram account and you also know who Hardik Pandya's rumoured girlfriend was. But how much do you know about the Indian women's cricket team that is set to square off against England in the World Cup that starts on June 24?
The tournament is slated to end on July 23. This would be the eleventh edition of the women's World Cup and the third to be held in England.
So here are all the details on the women in blue, who are raring to make India proud in England.
1. Mithali Raj - captain
She is not just the captain but also the backbone of the Indian cricket team. Being the second-highest run scorer in women's international cricket and only the second woman cricketer to surpass the 5,500-run mark
2. Harmanpreet Kaur
Kaur is the first woman cricketer to be signed by an overseas T20 franchise. She will be playing her 50th ODI against England in the opener. She made her international debut against arch-rivals Pakistan
3. Veda Krishnamurthy
Krishnamurthy is a reliable name in India's batting order. She is a right-handed batsman and bowls right-arm leg-break. She belongs to Karnataka.
4. Mona Meshram
She might have played only eight matches but she is the recipient of an honourable award. She received the BCCI¡¯s MA Chidambaram Award for being the best Junior lady cricketer in 2010-11.
5. Poonam Raut
She is not a name you can take lightly. She might have played only 28 ODIs for the country but has set a world-record opening partnership of 320 runs against Ireland last month. No mean feat, this.
6. Deepti Sharma
Deepti Sharma is the women's player with whom Poonam Raut set up a 320 run-opening stand against Ireland. She is clearly the Rahul Dravid of the Indian women's team.
7. Jhulan Goswami
She is currently the leading wicket-taker in the history of Women's ODI cricket. A veteran in her own right, she is succeeded by Mithali Raj as captain of the team. She is extremely handy with the bat as well.
8. Shikha Pandey
Apart from being a cricketer, she also has an elaborate career. She is an ex air-controller in the Indian Air Force. She has obtained a degree in Electronics and Electrical Engineering from Goa College of Engineering.
9. Ekta Bisht
Ekta is the first woman cricketer from the state of Uttarakhand. She is a very handy bowler who took a hat-trick against Sri Lanka in October 2012 during an ICC World Women Twenty20 game.
10. Sushma Verma
She is the first cricketer (male/female) to represent India at the international level. She started her career as a wicket-keeper in the team.
11. Mansi Joshi
Joshi is India's leading medium-paced bowler who plays for the state of Haryana. She recently made her debut against against Ireland in the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier in February this year.
12. Rajeshwari Gaekwad
Gaekwad is a slow left-arm bowler and a right-handed batswoman. She was born in Vijaypur Karnataka.
13. Poonam Yadav
She is a right-arm leg-break bowler who plays for the Cenral Zone, Uttar Pradesh and Railways in domestic cricket.
14. Nuzhat Parween
Making her debut in November 2016, she plays as a wicket-keeper. She was born in Singrauli into a Muslim family. She is one of the few women representing India in internetional cricket.
15. Smriti Mandhana
She is the first Indian woman to score a double-hundred in a ODI. Batting for Maharashtra against Gujarat, she scored 224 off 150 balls in the West Zone Under-19 Tournament. Way to go!