Captain Harmanpreet Kaur leads a bunch of India players who have made rapid gains in the MRF Tyres ICC Women's ODI Player Rankings after some excellent performances that helped complete a 3-0 sweep over England in their ICC Women's Championship (IWC) series.
An unbeaten half-century by Deepti Sharma guided India to a four-wicket win over England in the first Women's ODI in Southampton on Wednesday.
India have figured out a style of play in ODIs, and will be real threat: Australia skipper Healy
Having set the pace with emphatic back-to-back victories, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be eyeing a hat-trick of sorts against star-studded Mumbai Indians in the WPL match at home on Friday.
Star India batter Smriti Mandhana on Saturday admitted that her maiden T20 International hundred in the first match against England "took a long time coming" but was relieved to achieve the feat as she "had a habit of getting out".
India and Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur believes the upcoming edition of the Women's Premier League (WPL) will play a crucial role in the team's preparation for the ODI World Cup, which India is hosting later this year. She also highlighted the impressive performance of the India U-19 women's team, who recently won their second T20 World Cup title. Mumbai Indians' bowling coach and team mentor, Jhulan Goswami, expressed confidence in the team's composition and the impact of the WPL on women's cricket in India.
'Things get easier for me in this zone and today I think it was one of those days when I was more relaxed because the team is so brilliant, everyone is so positive. We are all backing each other.'
The Indian T20 captain produced a superb all-round performance to help her team Sydney Thunders outclass Melbourne Stars by eight wickets, in Albury, on Tuesday.
Harmanpreet was signed by Trent Rockets at The Hundred draft held on Thursday
Mandhana 136 (120b, 18x4, 2x6) and Harmanpreet 103 not out (88b, 9x4, 3x6) ran roughshod over the Proteas bowlers after being asked to bat first.
Celebrations were on at Harmanpreet's home in Moga in Punjab after her 171-run knock against Australia -- one of the greatest ODI knocks in women's cricket -- steered India into the World Cup final with a 36-run victory, in Derby, on Thursday.
Harmanpreet Kaur was named captain of the Indian women's team replacing seasoned Mithali Raj, for the limited-overs series against Bangladesh starting April 2 at home.
India captain Mithali Raj was on Thursday named in the ICC Women's ODI Team of the Year while left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht was the lone cricketer to find a place in the both the ODI and T20 Teams of the year announced by the world body.
South Africa trounced India by 105 runs in the sixth and final women's T20 International in Surat on Friday. Despite the defeat, India cliched the six-match series 3-1, with two games being washed out due to rain.
Skipper Alyssa Healy led from the front with a masterful 142 as Australia pulled off a record chase of 331 to beat India by three wickets in their Women's World Cup group match on Sunday.
They weren't up for a windfall even after the trophy but life was certain to get a lot better as some sponsors and state governments stepped up to lift them financially.
Alyssa backed Harmanpreet and the India team to come out stronger from this series.
India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, are coming into the showpiece event on the back of a hard-fought ODI series loss to Australia, where opener Smriti Mandhana slammed two back-to-back centuries and the spinners, led by Deepti Sharma, giving a good account of themselves.
The 27-year-old becomes the first Indian player to join an Australian Big Bash League Club after the Board of Control for Cricket in India approved its female players participating in foreign leagues.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur backed the Indian women's team to regain confidence in home conditions during the three-match T20I series against the West Indies.
Harmanpreet Kaur said with sprightly teenagers like Jemaimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma in the ranks, the team is 'mentally very fresh'.
Smriti Mandhana finally played a knock befitting her calibre as India defeated New Zealand by six wickets in the deciding game to seal the three-match Women's ODI series 2-1 in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Harmanpreet Kaur's parents will remain in Australia to watch India play in the Final at the MCG, which will take place on her 31st birthday.
Taking a dig at the controversial run-out decisions that played a big role in her team's last-ball, two-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians coach Charlotte Edwards said it was "really hard" to comprehend such calls that affect the eventual outcome of the match.
India vice-captain Mandhana to skip WBBL for second year in row
Images from the Women's T20 World Cup match between India and Sri Lanka in Dubai on Wednesday.
For India, Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues (29 off 33 balls) added 57 for the second wicket.
India will have to regroup quickly and iron out the imbalances in team combination when they face arch-rivals Pakistan in a crucial second group A match of the Women's T20 World Cup in Dubai on Sunday
The hosts had to chase 125 in 14 overs under the DLS method to secure their first win of the series.
Meanwhile, Smriti Mandhana remained in third place while Laura Wolvaardt retained her top spot.
Clinical India crush Sri Lanka by 97 runs to win Women's Tri-Nation tournament
'As her graduation degree was found to be fake, she can be given the post of constable which matches her educational qualification'
As part of the home season, India are scheduled to host West Indies and South Africa and therefore, the members are likely to decide on the venues for the those Test series.
Sanjay Manjrekar admitted to a lack of familiarity with players from North India. This statement, interpreted as regional bias and a disregard for talented cricketers, left fans fuming.
IMAGES from the WPL opener between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians played in Bengaluru on Friday
The Ireland women's team has never beaten India in the 12 ODIs they have played against them.
Team India's Jasprit Bumrah, India women's cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur and shooter Heena Sindhu have exceeded expectations to make the cut.
With this series win, the Indian women clinched their fourth consecutive bilateral series victory against the island nation.
Jemimah Rodrigues rose through the ranks in Mumbai to become one of the key batters for India, but the journey wasn't easy.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur held her nerves under pressure while opener Jemimah Rodrigues scored an invaluable 33 as Melbourne Renegades beat hosts Hobart Hurricanes by six wickets in a Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) match in Hobart on Saturday.
