Poonam Yadav: India's Balance and Shafali Verma's Role Key in Women's T20 World Cup

In a recent interview, Poonam Yadav discussed India's chances in the Women's T20 World Cup, highlighting the challenge posed by Australia and the critical role of Shafali Verma. Yadav is confident in India advancing from the group, citing strong team dynamics and historical successes.

In an exclusive interview on Star Sports' 'Follow the Blues,' Indian cricketer Poonam Yadav shared her analysis of Team India's group for the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup. Yadav highlighted the significant challenge Australia poses while expressing confidence in India's potential advancement. 'I think Australia and India will advance from our group, with Australia being a formidable opponent,' Yadav said to Star Sports.

Yadav praised India's T20I performance over the past two years, emphasizing their strong batting, bowling, and fielding. She noted, 'India's performance in T20Is has been impressive, with a solid team combination, but Australia will undoubtedly pose a significant challenge.' She also mentioned the determination of other group teams, particularly Sri Lanka.

'Sri Lanka will be eager to defeat India again, though we have a history of World Cup success against them,' Poonam said. Yadav expressed confidence in India's ability to secure a win against Pakistan, highlighting the historical significance of the matchup.

'The match against Pakistan will be intriguing, but I am confident we will win,' she stated. Reflecting on past encounters, Yadav said, 'In 2018, we played New Zealand in the same pool and defeated all teams except Sri Lanka. Although we lost in the semi-finals, our current team's positive environment and Shafali Verma's crucial role give me confidence.'

Praising Shafali Verma's impact, Yadav remarked, 'Her ability to score 60-70 runs quickly in the first six overs can place the opposition on the back foot, and I hope she continues this role.' With a balanced team and strategic strengths, Poonam Yadav remains optimistic about India's prospects in the Women's T20 World Cup, despite challenges from formidable opponents like Australia.

(With inputs from agencies.)