Smriti Mandhana had a simple message on the eve of the Trent Bridge T20: India have their preferred opening pair back together and she cannot wait to see how it clicks. Shafali Verma, omitted after a lean run either side of last year’s T20 World Cup, forces her way in again after piling up runs at domestic level and in the Women’s Premier League.
“She’s had an amazing year,” Smriti said of Shafali. “Once the setback had come, she went to domestic cricket, scored bucket-loads of runs and had an amazing WPL.”
Mandhana, standing in at the pre-match media call for an under-the-weather Harmanpreet Kaur, confirmed her captain should be available by Saturday. The vice-captain used the opportunity to underline why India stuck by Shafali during her dip and how the 21-year-old responded.
“No one had any doubts about her talent, the way she had come into the Indian team and dominated. 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.”
Verma’s numbers explain the enthusiasm: 527 runs at a strike-rate of 152.31 in the Senior Women’s One-Day Trophy and another 414 at 145.26 during the One-Day Challenger. She followed up by finishing fourth on the WPL scoring list with 304 at 152.76. Together, Mandhana and Shafali have 2636 T20I partnership runs – second only to Australia’s Beth Mooney and Alyssa Healy – rattling along at 7.9 an over.
England will counter with Lauren Bell, the tall right-armer who has remodelled her action to stand straighter at the crease and find swing on both sides of the bat. Bell and Mandhana share a dressing-room at Southern Brave; for five nights over the next fortnight they will be in opposite camps.
“I’m looking forward to bowling at Smriti,” Bell said. “I’ve obviously played with her, we’ve had a few net battles at the Brave before, so that’ll be a good challenge, playing against her. It’s exciting to be up against some of the best players and that normally brings the best out when you’re playing against the best.
“The last time I played India, it’s always been Smriti and Shafali opening the batting, so it’s a challenge we’ve had before and one that is really exciting. They’re both very talented and play differently, so I’m hoping it just brings the best out of us. As an England player, you really look forward to these series and thrive off the challenge and how good the opposition are.”
Bell spent last summer tweaking her action, looking for the tiny mechanical gains that can add an extra dismissal or two across a series. The work has left her more comfortable, though not complacent.
“In terms of that whole chapter, I’d say I’ve got into a really good place and I feel really, really happy,” Bell said. “But I don’t think you can ever say you’re complete as a bowler.”
India’s attack is also in transition. Veteran seamer Shikha Pandey has retired, while youngsters Titas Sadhu and Renuka Singh Thakur headline a pace group still feeling its way at this level. Mandhana insisted the quicks had the skill set to succeed in English conditions, citing Sadhu’s 3 for 6 in the Under-19 World Cup final last year as evidence of her temperament.
Conditions at Trent Bridge are likely to offer gentle seam early before flattening out, a pattern common in recent men’s internationals at the venue. With five T20Is packed into 11 days – Nottingham, Worcester, Hove, Southampton and The Oval – both sides will need to rotate bowlers but neither camp gave any hint of resting their headline acts for the opener.
For Mandhana and Shafali, Saturday offers a chance to pick up the story where they left it. For Bell, it is about testing a new run-up against an old team-mate. Either way, the focus is less on grand narratives and more on the cricket itself – exactly how both camps seem to prefer it.
