The Indian women's team will have a 'good selection headache' heading into the Women's T20 World Cup 2026 as the likes of Bharti Fulmali, Shreyanka Patil, and Radha Yadav starred in the warm-up fixture against the West Indies on Monday, June 8.
Bharti smashed an unbeaten 56 from 40 balls in the absence of captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who was rested for the practice fixture. She came in at No.5 and carried the innings along on the back of a 61-run partnership with Yastika Bhatia, who made 36. Meanwhile, Yastika has also made a return to the Indian T20I team for the T20 World Cup and the England series. Earlier, Shafali Verma and stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana provided the Women in Blue with a strong start of 59 runs for the first wicket.
Radha Yadav, Shreyanka shine too
The combined batting effort propelled India to a strong score of 179/8 in the 20 overs before the bowlers came to the act. Radha was brought back in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup and the England series after 11 months of absence. While she did not play a game in the 1-2 series loss to England, she was part of the warm-up fixture and picked up three wickets for just 25 runs in her four overs. Shreyanka continued her impressive run and took four wickets for 36 runs.
These performances give India a 'good selection headache' going into the World Cup, which begins on June 12. Amanjot Kaur and Kashvee Gautam were not available for selection due to their injuries, and the players who have performed in their absence have done a pretty strong job.
Smriti Mandhana reflects on selection headache
India vice-captain Mandhana highlighted the same after India's 26-run win over the Windies in the practice game. "Good to have that, especially because it was really important for the middle order to get some batting time. I thought Bharti played really well, and again, all the bowlers were brilliant in restricting them to 150," Mandhana said in the post-match presentation.
"(How important is it to have players in form?) Very important. They haven’t had a lot of game time coming here to England, and Radha, Shreyanka, and Bharti all had brilliant games. It’s a good headache to have ahead of the World Cup. I also feel it’s very important for all 15 players to be in good form because it keeps everyone else under pressure as well," she added.
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