Shafali Verma will be a major focus after her prolific Asia Cup campaign. The opener finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer and consistently gave India aggressive starts. Smriti Mandhana, meanwhile, will be keen to rediscover her rhythm after an uneven outing in the UAE. Richa Ghosh gives India further firepower in the middle and lower order.
The bowling attack offers India plenty of variety. Deepti Sharma’s experience and all-round skills will be important, while left-arm spinner Sree Charani enters the tournament after a breakthrough Asia Cup campaign. The 22-year-old recently completed 50 T20I wickets in just her 30th match. Radha Yadav and Shreyanka Patil add more spin options, with Patil returning after recovering from an ankle injury.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur will also be looking for a stronger tournament after an indifferent Asia Cup. Japan, meanwhile, will bank on home conditions and support to challenge India, but must find a way to counter their aggressive top order and varied spin attack.
