‘I expect them to be in the semifinals, if not in the finals’ - Lisa Sthalekar on India’s chances in T20 World Cup 2024

Former Australia cricketer Lisa Sthalekar expects India to play at least the semi-finals if not the finals of the women’s T20 World Cup 2024, slated to begin on October 3. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side will play their opening game against New Zealand on October 4 and will further challenge Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia in the group stage as the top two teams will then qualify for the semis.

Sthalekar analysed that Australia and England have very strong squads and she expects them to play the semis. Talking about India, the 45-year-old mentioned that the squad has good depth and decent bowlers that will help them challenge for the title. She pointed out the concern of the middle-order and added that she is waiting to see how Jemimah Rodrigues fares in the mega tournament.

“I can see Australia in the semifinals as they are aiming to win their fourth (title) in a row. England too had a strong pre-tournament build-up. India’s chances are also very high and I expect them to be in the semifinals, if not in the finals,” Sthalekar told a select group of journalists at the ABC – International Development’s five-day cricket commentary and mojo programme at the Australian High Commission.

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“India has got power, depth, decent bowlers and if their 4-7 number batters can score at a good strike rate, they will be in a good position. They need a good start from the openers. Jemimah Rodriguez did well in the West Indies (in the CPL) recently. It will be fascinating to see how she performs in the WC,” she added.

If any top order Indian batter scores a century, they can take the game away: Sthalekar

She also reminded how Poonam Yadav picked up four wickets against Australia in the 2020 T20 World Cup, which helped India beat them by 17 runs. She believes that if any Indian top order batter does well, the team has a good bowling unit to get the job done.

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“For example, in the 2020 T20 WC, Poonam Yadav took four wickets in the first game and dislodged Australian middle-order. India won that match by 17 runs. If any top order Indian batter scores a century or bowlers have a good day, they can take the game away,” she said.