Women's T20 WC, India vs England: Preview and Fantasy XI

India will face inaugural champions England in their upcoming group-stage game of the 2023 ICC Women's T20 World Cup on February 18. Led by Harmanpreet Kaur, India beat Pakistan in their opening game, followed by a six-wicket win over West Indies. Meanwhile, England haven't lost a game as well. Plus, they have a numerical advantage over INDW. Here is the match preview.

India have a 7-19 win-loss record against England in WT20Is. The Women in Blue clinched a narrow win in the semi-final of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. India then suffered a 1-2 defeat in a three-match series during the England tour last year.

The match will be held at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth. The sides chasing have won each of the two fixtures in the ongoing tournament. The average first innings total has been 109. Both pacers and spinners have been influential here. The match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network (6:30 PM IST) and live-streamed on Disney+Hotstar (paid subscription).

Both India and England are stacked with match-winners. Scoring-wise, India will bank heavily on Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma at the top. Wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh has delivered vital contributions. Veteran Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav are must-sees in spinner-friendly conditions. For England, skipper Heather Knight and rising sensation Alice Capsey hold the scoring reins. Sophie Ecclestone has been sensational with the ball.

Versus England, Mandhana has smashed 608 runs in 17 matches. She averages a stellar 40.53 (50s: 6). Ghosh's last two scores in the format: 44*(32) and 31*(20). Deepti Sharma has picked 100 WT20I wickets at 19.07. She is the first Indian woman to claim 100 WT20I wickets. Left-arm spinner Ecclestone has bagged six wickets at 6.00 in the ongoing Women's T20 WC.

India (Probable XI): Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper), Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Devika Vaidya, Radha Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Thakur Singh. England (Probable XI): Danielle Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley, Alice Capsey, Natalie Sciver Brunt, Heather Knight (captain), Amy Jones (wicket-keeper), Sophie Ecclestone, Charlotte Dean, Katherine Sciver Brunt, Sarah Glenn, Lauren Bell.

Fantasy XI (Option 1): Richa Ghosh, Heather Knight, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana (captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Natalie Sciver Brunt, Deepti Sharma, Alice Capsey, Sophie Ecclestone (vice-captain), Sarah Glenn. Fantasy XI (Option 2): Richa Ghosh, Heather Knight, Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Natalie Sciver Brunt, Deepti Sharma (captain), Alice Capsey, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Richa Yadav.