'Excited to open with Shafali Verma again': Smriti Mandhana confident as India eye strong start to England tour
Vice-captain
expressed excitement about reuniting with Shafali Verma at the top of the order as India gear up for the five-match T20I series against England, starting Saturday. Backing the young opener's return to international cricket, Mandhana said Shafali's resurgence through domestic and WPL performances had been inspiring.
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'She's had an amazing year. Once the setback had come, she went to domestic (cricket), scored bucket loads of runs, had an amazing WPL,' Mandhana said. 'Of course, no one had any doubt about her talent, the way she came into the Indian team and dominated. She is a world-class player and always will be. For her to go back and do what she did in the last one year was amazing to watch.
She deserves this comeback and I'm really excited to open with her again.
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India are coming off a 25-day preparation camp at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, aimed at fine-tuning both white-ball and red-ball skills for this crucial stretch of the calendar, which includes the home ODI World Cup later this year.
Who'll Make it to the Playing XI for 2nd Test? | India's Nets Session in Birmingham
'It's been a good 25 days of prep. We had batters and bowlers' camp at NCA and that was also very targeted and specific keeping in mind this tour and the World Cup,' Mandhana noted during the pre-match press conference.
With skipper
unwell, Mandhana addressed the media but confirmed the captain is likely to be available for the opening game.
Having reached England early and trained for over a week, Mandhana said the team had valuable time to adapt to conditions. 'A few good practice matches… especially for a lot of girls, it's their first England tour. So it was important to come early.'
Mandhana also highlighted how the T20Is will help build towards the 2025 T20 World Cup, also scheduled in England. 'Five T20s in the same conditions just a year before the World Cup is perfect prep. It will be important to understand what suits each player's game here.'
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