Smriti Mandhana eyes England T20Is as World Cup preparation

Indian vice-captain Smriti Mandhana believes that the upcoming five-match T20I series against England will play a pivotal role in India’s preparations for the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in similar conditions next year. With the matches taking place during the English summer, Mandhana sees this series as a golden opportunity for players to adapt to local conditions ahead of the marquee event. "Since we have a T20 World Cup next year around the same time, around the summer in the UK, which is again similar conditions, I'm sure the five T20Is will be a good prep for a lot of the girls and for us also to see the conditions and how they suit our game too,” she said.

The Indian squad features several young players making their first tour of England, including Kranti Gaud and Sree Charani. Mandhana stressed that spending time in English conditions before the series has been crucial for the squad’s preparation. "It's been a good 25 days of prep; we had batters and bowlers camp at Bangalore at NCA and that was also very targeted and specific, keeping in mind this tour," she explained. India also arrived in England early to maximize acclimatization. "Of course, we came a little earlier here, a good eight days of prep, a few good practice matches, and we got to know a lot of things about the England conditions. For a lot of girls, it's their first England tour, so it was important for them to come here early and get used to the conditions," she added.

Mandhana also heaped praise on her opening partner, Shafali Verma, who has returned to the squad after a brief exclusion from the T20I setup in late 2024. Shafali had a stellar WPL campaign, finishing as the fourth-highest run-scorer and showing clear signs of form revival. "She's had an amazing year. Once the setback had come, she went to domestic cricket, scored bucketloads of runs, and had an amazing WPL. No one had any doubts about her talent, the way she had come into the Indian team and dominated,” Mandhana said.

Excited for Pace Unit and Shafali’s Comeback

Shafali’s domestic form has been equally impressive, topping the run charts in both the Senior Women’s One-Day Trophy and the Challenger Trophy. “She is a world-class player and always will be, but for her to go back and do what she did in the last year was amazing to watch. She deserves this comeback, and I'm really excited to open with her again," Mandhana shared. Her return provides a boost to India’s top order, and her recent form promises explosive starts alongside Mandhana.

"Shafali Verma is a world class player, so she deserves this comeback to T20"
- Smriti Mandhana#TeamIndia #ENGvIND #INDvsENG https://t.co/dTaSPZ3D0K

— Cricket Cult (@CricketCult_) June 28, 2025

See Also: Ravi Shastri urges BCCI to push for bigger share of ICC revenue

The vice-captain also expressed enthusiasm for the new-look pace attack set to play in England. With regular bowlers Renuka Singh Thakur, Pooja Vastrakar, and Titas Sadhu unavailable due to injuries, Arundhati Reddy will lead a fresh group. "We have a new-look pace-bowling unit because, unfortunately, there are a few injuries that have happened over the last four to five months, but it is really exciting. I mean, the WPL has been good in terms of finding new people, and of course, the domestic system as well." She added, "The amount of matches the girls play nowadays—all these girls have a rich experience in the domestic format, so I'm really excited to see them.”