India begin Women’s T20I series against Sri Lanka with focus on young talent

India start their five-match Women’s T20I series against Sri Lanka in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. With Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana leading, youngsters G Kamalini and Vaishnavi Sharma will be closely watched as India build towards next year’s World Cup

Visakhapatnam: India’s quest to find stable support acts who can serve them at least until next year’s World Cup will begin with the first Women’s T20I of the five-match series against Sri Lanka here on Sunday.

The familiar faces — skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, her deputy Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma and Renuka Singh — are there, but it cannot be forgotten that they are either in their 30s or moving fast towards that mark.

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In that context, the Indian think tank will watch the evolution of young batter G Kamalini and promising left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma closely.

The 17-year-old Kamalini has shown maturity across various stages — for Tamil Nadu in the BCCI U23 T20 Trophy, then in the U19 World Cup earlier this year, and later in the Women’s Premier League for Mumbai Indians.

On the other hand, Vaishnavi has been on the selectors’ radar since she emerged as the top wicket-taker in the U19 World Cup with 17 wickets.

In Radha Yadav’s absence, the 19-year-old Vaishnavi may get a chance to operate alongside fellow left-armer N Sree Charani, who has also been impressive in recent months.

If the two left-arm spinners come good in the series, it will fit well into the long-term plans of the team management.

There will be focus on Mandhana too, as she looks to respond with the bat after going through an unfortunate personal setback with her wedding being called off. The left-hander has made it clear that cricket matters most to her, and this series could be a relief point to return to normalcy.

Harmanpreet will look to regain her T20 rhythm after a break from top-flight cricket post the ODI World Cup triumph.

Shafali Verma, who made a massive impact in the ODI World Cup final while coming in as a last-minute replacement, will be eager to cement her place in the side with consistent outings.

Sri Lanka, led by the experienced Chamari Athapaththu, will also monitor the development of some young players in the series.

The 17-year-old ambidextrous spinner Shashini Gimhani, 23-year-old seamer Kawya Kavindi and 19-year-old Rashmika Sewwandi have been marked as future stars, and this will be a great chance for them to test themselves against proven Indian performers.

Teams (from): India: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Harleen Deol, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh Thakur, Richa Ghosh (WK), G Kamalini (WK), Sree Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma.

Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu (C), Hasini Perera, Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshika De Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Imesha Dulani, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Malsha Shehani, Inoka Ranaweera, Shashini Gimhani, Nimesha Madushani, Kawya Kavindi, Rashmika Sewwandi, Malki Madara.

Match starts at 7 pm.