Team India began their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a 64-run victory over Pakistan in Birmingham. Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Adidas Match Centre Live’, JioStarexpert Veda Krishnamurthy and India All-rounder Shreyanka Patil shared their thoughts on the importance of a commanding win in the opening game, the partnership between experienced campaigners Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, and the potential changesIndia could make to their playing XI.
Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Adidas Match Centre Live’, India’s Shreyanka Patil weighed in on bowling in the powerplay and the importance of securing a commanding win ahead oftougher challenges later:
“I’ve always enjoyed bowling in the powerplay, whether it’s for my state team or for India. It’s amazing to bowl under pressure because that’s what I love doing, and it’ssomething I’ve successfully done in the past. It was fun bowling to a left-hander. We had a couple of missed chances, but Deepti’s five-wicket haul made up for it all. It’s a great win for us to start the tournament, and we did so with a convincing margin.We know that Australia and South Africa are top teams as well. It’s a World Cup, and you never know; anything can happen. So, you have to be at your best on the given day, and if you do everything right, you’ll end up on the winning side.”
On her extended time on the sidelines due to injury:
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t depressed or that I didn’t think about giving up cricket. That’s how I felt initially during the injury phase. But there was a voice insideme saying, ‘No matter what, I love playing this sport. I’m here only because I love playing it.’ So, I couldn’t give up on something I love doing. I kept my head high, my dad kept talking to me, and my family supported me throughout. The atmosphere aroundme and the strong support system I had, I was always surrounded by great people. That kept me going. I love being back on the field now, and I won’t let that feeling go.”
Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Adidas Match Centre Live’, JioStar expert Veda Krishnamurthy hailed the partnership between India’s Captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Vice-Captain SmritiMandhana:
“Both of them are experienced enough and were quick to understand the situation. What I liked about Smriti’s batting at the start was that she assessed the wicket in thefirst couple of overs and realised there was a bit of slowness in the surface. She waited on the back foot and played under her eyes as much as possible. When Harmanpreet came in, they delayed their onslaught until around the ninth over, when they startedfinding the boundary regularly. They understood the need to build a partnership at that stage, and once they had done that, you could see the sweep shots coming out. They also used their feet very effectively against both the spinners and the fast bowlers.That partnership was crucial because it set the base for Richa to come in later and score those quick runs.”
On potential changes in the playing XI in the next game:
“I would still like to see Radha Yadav coming in for Bharti Fulmali. The reason is that Radha can be used in different batting positions, anywhere from No. 5 to No. 7. Sheis extraordinary in the field, always a plus-10 asset, and if required, she can contribute with the ball as well. When it comes to Renuka Thakur, I would probably look at bringing her in after the South Africa game because her numbers against them are notparticularly strong. She has struggled against Laura Wolvaardt in the past. But, when you’re playing Australia and, if India qualify for the semi-finals, potentially England, West Indies or New Zealand, she has excellent numbers against those teams. So, Ithink she will be more useful for us in the later stages of the tournament. Radha was in my playing XI, but apart from that, I don’t see any changes.”
Watch New Zealand vs Sri Lanka at 7 PM and England vs Ireland at 11 PM in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 tomorrow,June 16, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network
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