Dubai
India’s Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma have been included in the ICC Women’s T20 Team of the Year after their stellar contributions in 2024. The Laura Wolvaardt-led team includes three Indian players, followed by two from South Africa and one each from Sri Lanka, West Indies, England, New Zealand, Ireland and Pakistan.
Smriti Mandhana started the year with a brilliant inning of 54 against Australia at the DY Patil Stadium, a performance that propelled the left-handed batsman to a stellar T20 performance. As a testament to her consistency, Mandhana finished the year in similar fashion, scoring three consecutive half-centuries against the West Indies at home, further enhancing her credibility in this format.
Her stellar performance took her to second place in the ICC Women’s T20 Batting Rankings. Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Richa Ghosh is known for her ability to score runs extremely aggressively, consistently leading the way with her aggressive playing style. Ghosh has been in explosive form whenever she got a chance to bat, scoring 64* off 29 balls at an incredible strike rate of 220.68 against UAE in Dambulla. The right-handed batsman maintained an impressive strike rate of 156.65 in 2024, which included another quickfire half-century, scoring 54 off just 21 balls against West Indies at the DY Patil Stadium.
Deepti Sharma continued to perform well, playing a vital role for India with her reliable batting and excellent bowling. His wicket tally includes 30 wickets in T20 matches in 2024 at an average of 17.80 and an economy rate of 6.01.
The 27-year-old took wickets in almost every match, including impressive performances like 3/13 in 4 overs against Nepal in Dambulla and 3/20 in 4 overs against Pakistan in the Women’s Asia Cup, which confirmed her place in the team. It’s done. Smriti and Deepti were also named in the ICC Women’s ODI Team of the Year, which was also led by South African batsman Laura Wolvaardt.
Other members of the ICC Women’s T20 Team of the Year include – Wolvaardt (673 runs), Chamri Athapaththu (720 runs), Hayley Matthews (538 runs), Nate Sciver-Brunt (423 runs), Mellie Kerr (387 runs and 29 wickets), Marizanne Capp (399 runs and 11 wickets), Orla Prendergast (544 runs and 21 wickets), Saadia Iqbal (30 wickets).