When India last travelled to England for a major global event, they returned heartbroken but transformed. Harmanpreet Kaur’s unforgettable 171 against Australia in the semifinal and a runners-up finish at the 2017 ODI World Cup ignited a surge in interest, which gave a big boost to women’s cricket in the country. Since 2017, India has reached two Women’s T20 World Cup semifinals and a final, establishing themselves as consistent contenders on the biggest stage. What has eluded them, though, is the final step. As another T20 World Cup begins, India’s hopes will inevitably rest on familiar names such as Harmanpreet, Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues. But if they are to convert years of promise into a maiden title, the decisive contributions may have to come from three players who don’t always dominate the headlines. Cardiff ➡️ Birmingham 🚌 A bag full of first-time travel memories on their very first #T20WorldCup 2026 road trip 🤗 Find out who the back-bencher is 😉#TeamIndia | #WomenInBlue pic.twitter.com/9tA6L9XK2a — BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) June 12, 2026 Hidden heroes Deepti, Shafali Verma …