India's Women's T20 World Cup 2024 Preparations Begin with Fitness Camp

India's Women's T20 World Cup 2024 preparations are underway with a fitness and conditioning camp in Bengaluru. The camp, which will focus on fielding and fitness, will feature a large squad of probables, excluding those currently playing in the Women's Hundred or Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL).

The Indian team will not have any international cricket before the World Cup, which will be held from October 3 to 20. The India A team is currently in Australia for a multi-format series.

Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, and Richa Ghosh will miss the first camp due to their Hundred commitments, while Jemimah Rodrigues will be playing in the WCPL for Trinbago Knight Riders.

The camp will also include sessions with a sports psychologist, as requested by captain Harmanpreet Kaur. The psychologist will help players address challenges and cope with pressure and mental fatigue.

The squad for the World Cup will reconvene in early September for an intense skill-based camp. India will be aiming to win the World Cup for the first time after falling short in previous tournaments, including the 2020 final and 2022 semi-finals against Australia.

Shreyanka Patil, who suffered a finger injury during the Women's Asia Cup, is expected to recover in time for the tournament and will participate in the conditioning camp. Yastika Bhatia, who is recovering from a knee injury, is also expected to continue her rehabilitation at the NCA.

The selectors are prioritizing a spin-based squad, but the uncertainty surrounding the host venue due to security concerns in Bangladesh may also impact the pace bowling group.

Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar are the regular pacers, while Arundhati Reddy is pushing for a spot after impressive performances in the domestic season and the WPL. Meghna Singh and Titas Sadhu are also in contention.

The fast-bowling group will be guided by Troy Cooley, the former Australia fast bowler who is a bowling consultant at the NCA. The group will play intra-squad games in September before departing for the World Cup.

Tags: #WomensT20WorldCup2024, #IndianCricket, #FitnessCamp, #HarmanpreetKaur, #SmritiMandhana