The ICC Women’s World Cup 2026 is upon us, with England taking on Sri Lanka in the opening fixture, in Birmingham on Friday. Harmanpreet Kaur’s Team India takes centrestage two days later, in the match against Pakistan, which they should win easily. But the big question remains, what playing XI should the side go with?
What should be India playing XI vs Pakistan?
While there could be selection headaches for head coach Amol Muzumdar, the UP Warriorz head coach Abhishek Nayar was quite clear on the combination he wanted to see from Team India. In fact, he also mentioned the players, who could emerge as the X-factors.
While the opening combo looks sorted with Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana at the top, instead of Jemimah Rodrigues at no. 3, Nayar opted for Yastika Bhatia there. That meant Jemi at No. 4, and Harman at no. 5.
Yastika Bhatia in
“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 said on Star Sports show Game Plan.
Another surprise pick was Radha Yadav, who could come in as an all-rounder, maybe. Richa Ghosh, the explosive batter followed at no. 6. “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,” the renowned coach added.
No Renuka Thakur, Arundhati Reddy finds spot
Then in the bowling department, he picked Deepti Sharma, who doubles up as an all-rounder, Arundhati Reddy, who has shown decent form this year, Shree Charani, and Kranti Gaud to end the XI.
“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.
As for the X-factors, Kranti, Shafali and Charani were his picks. One notable omission from the playing XI was that of pace spearhead Renuka Singh Thakur. “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, Kranti 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 concluded.
Abhishek Nayar’s IND playing XI vs PAK: Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana, Yastika Bhatia, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Shree Charani, Kranti Gaud.
