Former Indian batter Abhishek Nayar has picked India’s playing against Pakistan for their opening clash of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. Nayar also picked three players, who could be the X-factors for India.
The former Indian assistant coach backed Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana to continue as openers. Nayar picked Yastika Bhatia to bat at one drop whereas he backed Jemimah Rodrigues at No. 4, and Harmanpreet Kaur at No. 5.
“The most obvious one is getting Shafali Varma right on top. You have got vice-captain Smriti Mandhana with her. Yastika Bhatia has actually been doing pretty well. She has been batting at No. 3. So Yastika there, Jemimah Rodrigues at No. 4, and Harmanpreet Kaur at No. 5,” Abhishek Nayar said on Star Sports show Game Plan.
Nayar picked Radha Yadav ahead of Bharti Fulmali after backing wicket-keeper Richa Ghosh at number six.
“Richa Ghosh at No. 6. You have got power. Bharti Fulmali is a temptation, but with this team, I would want a finisher as well. So there is a choice between Fulmali and Radha Yadav. The way Radha Yadav has been batting, I would go with a left-arm spinning option,” Nayar observed.
The former Indian all-rounder picked Deepti Sharma as spin-bowling all-rounder and selected Arundhati Reddy, Sree Charani, and Kranti Gaud as three specialist bowlers.
“You have got Deepti Sharma after that, and you have got the three bowlers. I will start with Kranti Gaud at No. 11. Arundhati Reddy is someone the team really likes, and then you have Sree Charani in. So that’s my team,” he stated.
Nayar picked Sree Charani and Kranti Gaud as bowling X-factors whereas picked Shafali Verma as batting X-factor.
“The obvious one is Kranti Gaud for me because she is going to bowl with the new ball. You know the ball is going to do a bit when you play in England, and capitalizing on the Powerplay is really important in women’s cricket. So, for me, Krani plays a critical role, and in that bowling attack, I think someone like Sree Charani is a very important cog for the Indian team,” he said.
“Everyone else obviously is really important, but Shafali Verma. When you look at Powerplay batting, you know that Shafali Verma needs to get going to give Smriti Mandhana the time to settle in and then take charge later on. The Indian team will be looking forward to making sure these three players enter with good form,” Nayar elaborated.
India will take on Pakistan at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on Sunday.
