India’s quest for first Women’s T20 title begins against New Zealand

Who: India vs New Zealand
What: ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Group A match
When: Friday, October 4 at 6pm (14:00 GMT)
Where: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
How to follow: Al Jazeera’s live text coverage begins at 11:30 GMT
India will begin their search for a maiden ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title when they face New Zealand in a crucial Group A match on Friday.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s team are placed third, just above their opponents, in the ICC women’s T20 international rankings but will be wary of the threat posed by an experienced side led by Sophie Devine.
India’s head coach Amol Muzumdar believes his team head into the tournament with plenty of self-belief and experience.
“We have had a fantastic season leading up to the World Cup,” he told reporters on Thursday.
Muzumdar said the team management and captain have been working on finding the right mix for the playing 11 ahead of the first match.
“We have figured out the right combination that we are going to play tomorrow,” he said.
New Zealand captain Devine will hope that her team will be able to shake off the recent back-to-back series losses against Australia and England.
Devine will hold the key to New Zealand’s chances with the bat, but Suzie Bates and Amelia Kerr are also capable of taking on the best bowling attacks in the world.
Placed in the tougher of the two groups – along with holders Australia, Asian champions Sri Lanka, and the unpredictable Pakistan – both teams will look to get points in the bag in the first game.
India’s last T20 international outing resulted in a loss – and a costly one – when they were beaten by Sri Lanka in the final of the Women’s Asia Cup in July.
Prior to the final, they had won all their games in the tournament in Dambulla, Sri Lanka.
Last five T20 results: L W W W W
New Zealand, too, enter the tournament on the back of a string of losses in the T20 format. They were beaten 3-0 by the current champions Australia. Their tour of England ended in a series loss as well.
Last five T20 results: L L L L L
The head-to-head record in T20 matches favours New Zealand, who have won four of their five meetings, including the last one in February 2022.
India’s only win came at the T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia, where the women in blue were the losing finalists.
India are a settled team and one that brims with experience with the likes of Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Verma, Singh and Yadav.
Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Yastika Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajeevan Sajana
New Zealand will be confident that their experienced top-order batting lineup will cope with the threat posed by India’s strong bowling attack.
Squad: Sophie Devine (captain), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Isabella Gaze (wicketkeeper), Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu
Yes. Tickets for the tournament went on sale on September 25 on the tournament’s website. They will also be available at kiosks at both venues.
The ICC has announced free entry for fans under the age of 18. The price for tickets ranges between 5 UAE dirhams ($1.36) and 550 dirhams ($150).
The ICC has allotted rights to various broadcasting and online streaming outlets across the world.