Indian Women's Cricket team defeated the West Indies team by 6 wickets in their second match of the T20 World Cup 2023. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur and wicket-keeper Richa Ghosh took the team home with their 73-run stand for the 4th wicket while Deepti Sharma created history by becoming the first Indian to take 100 T20 international wickets. Deepti took 3/15 in the match to restrict the West Indies team to 118. Although it was a good win for India, former India cricketer Gargi Banerjee feels there are lots of things India need to improve if they have to beat better teams further in the tournament.

In our special segment named "T20 World Cup 2023 with Gargi Banerjee", the former Indian cricketer said, "Yes, it is a clean win. But, we need to improve a lot of things to beat better teams." India will face England in their next Group-2 match and India should be at their best to beat them in order to be on top of the group table.

Deepti Sharma creates history | T20 World Cup 2023

Deepti Sharma looked tight in her bowling after a rare "bad match" against Pakistan. The right-arm off-spinner not only took 3 wickets but checked the run flow of the West Indies as well. Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar were also economical in their bowling but lacked control in the middle. Left-arm spinners Radha Yadav and Rajeshwari Gayakwad were not consistent as they went for runs.

A big milestone for Indian spinner Deepti Sharma 🌟

She becomes the first India international to reach the landmark in T20Is.

Follow LIVE 📝: https://t.co/SB27Oahkfj #WIvIND | #T20WorldCup | #TurnItUp pic.twitter.com/B1JyC9RDKp

— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) February 15, 2023

Even former India captain Mithali Raj addressed the lack of control in India's bowling in the commentary as well. Mithali said Indian bowlers are giving runs in the middle overs and lacking consistency in their bowling which can be an issue going into the tournament. Gargi Banerjee echoed her thoughts.

"You cannot allow the game to drift away from you after a good start. They are lacking control in line and length and it will hurt them when they play better teams. They will not give you opportunities to make a comeback," she told Sportz Point.

"You need to have a proper plan and bowl according to that. Deepti bowled brilliantly but we are expecting more from Rajeshwari and Radha. Even Renuka and Pooja have a few things to improve as well."

Along with bowling, she feels India can do a lot better in fielding. India missed two run outs opportunities and one catch went begging as well. Although Smriti Mandhana ran out Chinelle Henry to save that point for India.

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But everything was overlooked when Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma came to bat. Mandhana, who was making a comeback in the team after missing the last fixture against Pakistan, looked positive from the word go. But, she was out stumped for 7 quite early in the chase. Shafali took it from there while Jemimah failed to continue her form from the last match.

"Richa's promotion has been beneficial. She looked matured:" Gargi Banerjee

After Shafali's dismissal (28), it was Richa Ghosh and Harmanpreet Kaur who took the charge and took the team home. Richa's promotion in the batting order making her play more balls and giving her a chance to settle before she goes bang bang.

"Richa has been very good. If you can guide her throughout the inning, she can play according to the situation of the team. Harman guided her well. I feel Richa's promotion is giving her more balls to play and it is good that she is utilising that opportunity."

Gargi Banerjee

Richa Ghosh remained unbeaten on 44 from 32 balls while Harmanpreet had to deaprt for 33 with the team needing just 3 runs.

With two wins in two games, India is now at number 2 on the points table of Group 2. As they prepare to face England, Gargi Banerjee feels they will have a good chance to win if they execute their skills well.

"I believe along with Australia, India have the most balanced side in this T20 World Cup. So, it just a matter of fact that they need to plan well and execute those plans as per the need of the match," she explained.

Scorecard Summary: IND vs WI | T20 World Cup 2023

West Indies: 118/6 (Deepti Sharma 3/15)
India: 119/4 (Richa Ghosh 44*, Harmanpreet Kaur 33)

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Indian Women's Cricket team has seen remarkable growth in recent years, with two runners-up positions at the ODI World Cup to their credit. The new age Indian players like Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma are taking Indian women's cricket to the next level with Harmanpreet Kaur leading the team calmly. However, India are yet to win the Women’s Cricket World Cup despite reaching the final twice. 

Also Read: ICC Women's World Cup Past Winners & Most Successful Teams

The ICC Women's World Cup 2025 will begin on September 30 with co-hosts India and Sri Lanka facing off in the opening match of the tournament at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. So, before start of the tournament, let take a look at India women's team's performance in every ICC Women's World Cup.

ICC Women's World Cup: India's Performance So Far

India Women Cricket Team journey in the ODI World Cup began in 1978. They did not participate in the first edition in 1973 before playing in the second edition. India crashed out at the group stage in 1978 as well as 1982 and did not participate in 1988.

In the 1993 edition, India made a group stage exit once again before finally progressing to the semifinal in 1997 when they played the tournament on home soil. India made it to the semifinal in 2000 also.

In 2005, India Women Cricket Team qualified for the final of the World Cup for the first time but ended up losing the title-decider. Their campaign ended at the Super 6s stage in 2009 before they crashed out at the group stage in 2013.

Four years later, India qualified for the final once again but lost the match against England. In 2022, India made a group stage exit.

Also Read: Indian Cricket Team's upcoming schedule (men and women)

The ICC Women's World Cup 2025 is scheduled to be hosted by India in September-October. This will be the 13th edition of the tournament. India has reached the final of the Women's ODI Cricket World Cup twice, but has never won it.

Australia Women’s Team lift the previous edition of the ICC World Cup at the Christchurch Cricket Stadium in New Zealand. They defeated the England team with 71 runs.

Let's have a look at the ICC Women's World Cup past winners and most successful teams.

Also Read: Indian Cricket Team's upcoming schedule (men and women)

ICC Women's World Cup | First Edition Winner

The women's cricket world cup was held 2 years before the first men's world cup. In 1973, the tournament was first hosted with 7 teams participating in the tournament. The tournament was hosted by England. England became the champion by defeating Australia in the 60-over tournament.

India was not a part of it. The Indian women's cricket team made its debut in the Women's Cricket World Cup in 1978, which was hosted by India.

England scored a mammoth total of 279/3 in 60 overs with Enid Bakewell scoring 118 and captain Rachael Heyhoe Flint contributing 64. Australia struggled to chase the target and scored 187/9. Bakewell became the highest run scorer in the tournament. She scored 264 runs. Rosalind Heggs of England took the most wickets with 12.

2022 Women's World Cup Winner

Australia beat England by 71 runs to lift the ICC Women's World Cup 2022 trophy. This is the seventh World Cup title for Australia women. The Meg Lanning-led side had put up 356 runs on the scoreboard for the loss of 5 wickets while batting first and managed to get England all out for 285 runs despite Natalie Sciver's brave attempts to keep her side still in the game.

ICC Women's World Cup | Most Successful Teams

Australia is the most successful women's cricket team with seven titles. Australia has dominated women’s cricket like no other team, winning the most ICC trophies in history. With a staggering 7 titles in the Women’s ODI World Cup, the Australian Women’s team has set the benchmark for excellence on the global stage. 

Their closest competitor, England, has managed to secure four World Cups, a distant second that underscores Australia’s dominance.

• Australia (7 times): 1978, 1982, 1989, 1998, 2005, 2013, 2022
• England (4 times): 1973, 1993, 2009, 2017
• New Zealand (1 time): 2000

Also Read: Indian batters to score an international ton in all formats: Smriti Mandhana joins an elite list

ICC Women's World Cup | Past Winners

The men’s and women’s Indian cricket teams will compete in multiple series at home and away, including Asia Cup and Women's ODI World Cup in the incoming days.

Let's have a look at Indian Cricket Team's upcoming schedule.

Also Read: ENG vs IND: Every record Shubman Gill broke in test series

No more cricket in August

After the series between India and England, with India's tour of Bangladesh postponed till 2026, as per the current situation, the Indian team will not be able to play any more cricket in August.

The next tournament for the Indian Men's Cricket team will be the 2025 Asia Cup, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In Test cricket, India will next be seen playing two-match home series against West Indies and South Africa.

Between the two Test series, the team will tour Australia for ODI and T20I series. India will also play home series in both white-ball formats against South Africa and New Zealand before their T20 World Cup.

Women's team try to claim their maiden ICC trophy

The Indian women’s cricket team started its year with a three-match ODI series at home against Ireland in January's second week. The Women’s Premier League (WPL) was played in February-March.

The ICC Women’s ODI World Cup will be hosted in India and Sri Lanka. The tournament starts from September 30 with the final scheduled for November 2. Harmanpreet Kaur’s side will have the perfect stage to claim their maiden ICC trophy. The team has finished as the runners-up twice before in the ODI World Cup.

Also Read: Watch: Captain Harmanpreet Kaur shares her POTM award with the youngster after historic ODI series win against England

Indian Cricket Team's upcoming schedule (men and women)

Here’s a look at Indian Cricket Team's upcoming schedule.

Indian Men’s Cricket Team

Indian Women's Cricket Team

East Zone announced their squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2025 on Friday, featuring a bowling lineup reminiscent of an Indian team, including Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, and Akash Deep. However, there is one Bengal pacer who made an entry into the squad after performing well in Ranji Trophy in last two seasons.

Bengal's medium pacer all-rounder Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal has been named in the West Zone squad. Ishan Kishan will lead the side, whereas Abhimanyu Easwaran will be the vice-captain of the team. Right after his selection, Suraj shared his thoughts in an exclusive interview with Sportz Point.

Suraj nearly left cricket in 2023

There was one time when Suraj wanted to leave cricket and went into depression. Suraj had already lost his father, but his mother, brother and coach supported him immensely, and their belief turned into a result when he got selected for the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 season after a great season with Calcutta Customs Club.

Since then, Suraj has been Bengal's highest wicket-taker in consecutive seasons and has taken 60 wickets in just 12 first-class matches at an outstanding average of 15.43. Suraj feels it is his consistency and process that have given him the results so far.

"Feeling very happy after the selection. These selections give you more confidence that I have been doing well. But, I will have to justify this with better performances," Suraj told Sportz Point.

Reflecting back on his journey, Suraj feels he is on the right track but needs to focus on the present without looking too far.

"You know that I was about to leave cricket. But, I have been able to go through that period and representing Bengal in Ranji Trophy was a dream. Now, when I am going into the next stages of Indian cricket, I need to focus on the things at hand and do what has worked well for me."

Read Also: Exclusive Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal: "Jumping out" from tough times to become Bengal's star of the season

"I am honoured"

It will not be new for Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal to bowl alongside Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar or Akash Deep. In the 2024-25 season, Suraj bowled in tandem with India's one of best, Mohammed Shami. But getting selected for the East Zone team when all of these three bowlers are available makes it more special for him. 

"To be honest, I am honoured. Getting into a squad where all of them (Shami, Mukesh and Akash Deep) are there feels special. All of them have played for India, and I am just willing to learn as much as possible from them."

However, it is quite clear as well that with Shami, Mukesh and Akash Deep being there, it would be hard for Suraj to get a game. But for Suraj, he never thinks about selection before the match. For him, selection is never in his hands, and that's why he does not want to think about something which is not under his control.

"Even in Ranji Trophy, I do not think about selection. I try to focus on the preparation and getting ready for them. That has been my habit. So, in Duleep Trophy, I will just focus on my preparation," Suraj expressed.

Read Also: Exclusive Akash Pandey: Former Bengal U19 star is inspired by Sarfraz Khan's journey, takes 9/71 against Goa in Ranji Trophy

"Don't want to think too far"

It was in tournaments like the Duleep Trophy where Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep made their names before getting that India cap. Is Suraj thinking about that too?

"No. I just want to keep doing what I have done well to get here," he answered.

"Yes, the dream is to get there (the Indian team). But I do not want to think too far and lose my focus. I trust in God and whatever he chooses for him. I just want to keep improving myself."

Apart from his bowling, Suraj last season proved himself with the bat as well. With his maiden first-class ton against Punjab in the last of the season, Suraj showed he is ready to be an all-rounder as well. By the way, he also took 8 wickets in that match.

"It is about contributing to the team, with bat, ball or fielding. Helping the team is the main goal. Yes, I have been working on my batting as well. So, feels good to have a first-class ton beside my name, but I need to keep improving.

Read Also: Fast, accurate and fearless: Nuruddin Mondal bowling bouncer to life every day | Bengal Cricket Exclusive

East Zone squad for Duleep Trophy 2025

Ishan Kishan (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran (VC), Sandeep Pattnaik, Virat Singh, Denish Das, Sridam Paul, Sharandeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra, Riyan Parag, Utkarsh Singh, Manishi, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Shami.

Stand bys: Mukhtar Hussain, Aasirwad Swain, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Swastik Samal, Sudip Kr Gharami, Rahul Singh.

Duleep Trophy 2025 Schedule

Indian cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur shared her Player of the match award with youngster Kranti Goud, after India's historic WODI series against England on Tuesday in Chester-le-Street. India had won their maiden WODI series on English soil in 2022 and have now recorded their successive series win there.

Not only that, after winning their first-ever WT20I series on English soil, India registered their WODI series win, which makes it their most successful England tour ever. 

After winning the first WODI of the series, England made a great comeback at Lord's. In the final match of the series, India then managed a narrow 13-run win at Durham International Cricket Ground.

𝐓𝟐𝟎𝐈 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 🏆 ✅
𝐎𝐃𝐈 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 🏆✅

Watch #ENGWvINDW 3️⃣rd ODI - Highlights on #SonyLIV 📲 pic.twitter.com/JJ1iJcj2eF

— Sony LIV (@SonyLIV) July 22, 2025

What happened in the match?

India won the toss and decided to bat first. After a good opening partnership of 64 runs, India lost Pratika Rawal on 26 off 33 balls. After that, England bowlers bounced back well, and in the meantime, India wanted to play out Sophie Ecclestone's spell. 

With Harleen Deol struggling to get going, Smriti Mandhana wanted to push the accelerator. However, she lost her wicket while doing that after a solid 45 from 54 balls.

Read Also | Indian batters to score an international ton in all formats: Smriti Mandhana joins an elite list

Post that, Captain Harmanpreet Kaur came out positively and built a solid 81-run partnership with Harleen Deol, who got out after scoring 45 off 65 balls. But Harmanpreet Kaur did not lose the momentum as she built another solid partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues. 

Kaur, who completed her fifty in just 54 balls, had an 110-run partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues. Jemimah perished after an attacking 50 from 45 balls while Harmanpreet Kaur reached her 7th WODI ton in just 82 balls. 

Read Also | Most centuries by Indian cricketers in WODIs: No one is catching Smriti Mandhana

India finished the first inning with 318/5 on the board. Kaur scored 102 of them in just 84 balls. Richa Ghosh played an unbeaten 38-run inning from just 18 balls.

The second inning started really well for India with youngster Kranti Goud cleaning up Tammy Beaumont's stumps in the first over. She then dismissed Amy Jones in her next over, with Deepti Sharma taking a stunning catch at gully.

But after that, England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and Emma Lamb steadied the ship for the home side. For the third wicket, they piled 162 runs with Lamb scoring 68 off 81 balls before getting out.

However, the turning point of the match was when Deepti Sharma was able to get the big wicket of England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt. Sciver-Brunt was first given not out, but an excellent review by India sent her back to the pavilion after an inning of 98 off 105 balls. 

Post that, it was all about Kranti Goud, who picked up four more wickets to help India win by 15 runs. Goud finished with an excellent bowling figure of 9.5-1-2-6.

At 21 years 345 days, Kranti Gaud is the youngest pace bowler to take 6 or more wickets in a women's ODI innings. The previous youngest was England's Jo Chamberlain, who was 22y 85d when she took 7-8 against Denmark in 1991.

Kaur shared her player of the match award with Goud

From Captain with lots of heart and love ❤️

A special gesture for a special spell 👌👌

Captain @ImHarmanpreet shares her Player of the Match award with Kranti Gaud and presents her with a signed ball & a special message ✍️#TeamIndia | #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/vRVNlTOBkF

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) July 23, 2025

After the historic series win, captain Harmanpreet Kaur shared her well-deserved Player of the Match Award with Kranti Goud, who was playing only her 4th WODI match. Goud picked up 6 wickets, which was influential for India's victory. 

"Really happy with the way Kranti and all of them bowled, it shows how keen they were to win this match and the series," Harmanpreet Kaur said in the post-match presentation.

"I want to share the Player of the Match award with Kranti because she bowled one of the best spells of her career. The way she executed all the plans, I think she deserves to win the Player of the match award," Kaur said while handing the award to Kranti Goud. 

Harmanpreet Kaur signed the match ball for Goud as well.