Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh: key to India’s T20 World Cup hopes

Deepti, Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh perform vastly different roles, yet each influences a phase of the game that could determine whether India finally goes the distance. (CREIMAS)

In 2017, the Indian women’s cricket team lost the ODI World Cup final in England, but their spectacular run—anchored by Harmanpreet Kaur’s iconic 171 runs against Australia—sparked massive public interest and transformed women’s cricket in India.

Nine years later (in 2026), the team returns to England. While only three veteran players (Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Deepti Sharma) remain from that 2017 squad, they return as reigning ODI world champions with the opportunity to achieve a historic white-ball double. (Read more from Shankar Narayan)