As anticipation builds ahead of the squad announcement for India Women for the upcoming T20 World Cup, scheduled in June–July in England, fans are eager to see who will make the final cut. After a historic triumph in the ICC Women’s ODI Cricket World Cup in 2025, this will be their first ICC assignment, and fans will hope for a similar memorable journey as they aim to clinch their maiden T20 World Cup title.
However, they suffered a major setback in their preparations with a recent 4-1 T20I series loss against the Proteas Women in South Africa. Before that, Harmanpreet Kaur’s side had shown consistency in the format, winning 12 out of 16 games since the last edition of the T20 World Cup.
Still, speaking about expectations, former India pacer and legend Jhulan Goswami shared her views during an exclusive podcast session at the RevSportz Trailblazers Conclave 4.0 in Kolkata, before the recent South Africa series. She sounded positive and “hopeful” about India’s chances in the upcoming event.
“India are a strong side. They defeated Australia in Australia in that T20I series. I am hopeful about this team. They have all the abilities to win the series and then go for the World Cup. We just need to keep supporting them, backing them and who knows they can again give us some memorable memories to cheer just like they did in November 2025,” Jhulan said.
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She also pointed out that despite being in a strong group featuring South Africa, Australia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Netherlands, India should aim for a top-four finish, underlining its importance in ICC tournaments.
“This team should play well there. For me, top four should be the minimum that we get. I always say that in any ICC tournament, finishing in the top four is quite crucial. Because when you go into the top four, then it depends on that particular day. If you put up your best, you can go for glory,” she added.
Jhulan also highlighted how skipper Harmanpreet Kaur enjoys taking responsibility and how the current team now understands what it takes to win a World Cup after the 2025 triumph.
“This team now has that taste of World Cup win, and I am hopeful they will be hungry for more silverware. The think-tank featuring coach Amol Muzumdar, coach Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain, Smriti Mandhana has been working hard and Harman has always loved to take the responsibility.”
When asked about seamers to watch out for, she named Kashvee Gautam, the promising pacer, and the experienced Renuka Singh Thakur.
“Kashvee Gautam can be a good addition if she gets a chance. In England’s conditions, as per her ability, she can swing the ball. Renuka also should do well, but any seamer there needs to understand from which end they are bowling because of the different dimensions and slopes of the fields,” she said.
Kashvee had a decent outing in Australia, especially with the bat in the ODIs, before earning her maiden call-up to the recent T20I series in South Africa. However, in the three games she played, she had a tough time, picking up only one wicket at an economy of 10.87 and scoring just 10 runs in one innings. Renuka also struggled in South Africa, managing two wickets in four games at an economy of 9.21, compared to her outings in Australia, where she picked up four wickets in three matches at an economy of 6.36.
While Renuka remains a certain pick, it remains to be seen whether Kashvee makes the final cut, as India look to find the right balance ahead of the World Cup.
Also Read: ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026: Selection headaches for India ahead of squad announcement