“Veda Krishnamurthy: India Will Excel in T20 World Cup 2024.”

Former India cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy expressed on Wednesday that the Women in Blue will be “very dominant” in the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. Earlier that day, the Indian women’s team departed for the UAE, where the tournament begins on October 3. In an exclusive interview with Star Sports, Krishnamurthy emphasized the importance of adapting to the conditions and highlighted the team’s reliance on spinners, particularly Deepti Sharma.

“Adjusting to the UAE conditions is crucial, especially with this squad. Since the last tournament in Bangladesh, the team hasn’t changed much. It’s a spin-heavy lineup, and Deepti Sharma has been a key bowler. The fast bowlers, like Pooja Vastrakar, are effective with the semi-new ball. They need Renuka to perform regardless of the conditions. If they achieve that, India will be very dominant in this World Cup,” she stated.

India’s T20 World Cup journey kicks off against New Zealand on October 4 at Dubai International Stadium, with warm-up matches against West Indies and South Africa planned beforehand.

In the last T20 World Cup, Australia defeated South Africa by 19 runs to clinch their sixth title, while India reached the semifinals but lost to Australia by five runs.

**Squad:** Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajana Sajeevan.

In the 2022 edition, India narrowly missed out on history, reaching the semifinals only to be thwarted by Australia once again. Ahead of the T20 World Cup, India’s form has been mixed, with losses to Australia and England earlier this year, but they bounced back with two series wins against Bangladesh.

**Travelling reserves:** Uma Chetry (WK), Tanuja Kanwer, Saima Thakor.
**Non-travelling reserves:** Raghvi Bist, Priya Mishra.