New Delhi, June 13 -- Former wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has backed the women's opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma to play a decisive role as India gears up for their campaign opener against Pakistan at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday.
India head into the tournament with high expectations and one of the most formidable batting line-ups in the competition.
Karthik believes the contrasting styles of Mandhana and Shafali at the top of the order give India a significant advantage in the shortest format.
"India's biggest strength is that they can put teams under pressure from ball one. Smriti brings stability, Shafali brings explosiveness, and when those two get going together, they can take a game away in t...