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Cricket Players'Can't blow hot and cold like that': Ex-India captain calls for consistency in batting; 'Harmanpreet has to bat higher'
Women's World Cup 2022: Harmanpreet Kaur has been solid at the No. 5 position, scoring a hundred and a fifty to give a glimpse of her batting prowess.
India Women have got two wins and as many defeats in the World Cup so far and the Mithali Raj-led side next face a dominant Australian unit on Saturday. While the bowlers have been decent in New Zealand conditions, the inconsistent form of batters remains a concern for the Indians. Young sensation Shafali Verma hasn't been a part of the starting eleven since India's win over Pakistan in their opening fixture and it has led to the team tweaking its batting line-up. (ALSO READ | Punjab Kings unveil new jersey ahead of IPL 2022)
Deepti Sharma batted at three in the first two games before skipper Mithali Raj replaced her in that position against West Indies and England. Mithali has managed to score just 46 runs in four games while Harmanpreet Kaur has been solid at the No. 5 position, scoring a hundred and a fifty to give a glimpse of her batting prowess.
Former skipper Diana Edulji, who had earlier called for Harmanpreet's exclusion from the team, is elated to be proved wrong by the batter. Edulji feels Harmanpreet and Smriti Mandhana, who also scored a ton against the West Indies, should get maximum time in the middle. She further suggested that in-form Harmanpreet should bat at the No. 3 spot.
"When they (Harman and Smriti) are in form and have confidence between themselves, let them play as many overs as they can. They complement each other and they run well between the wickets. The opening pair (Smriti and Yastika) is fine as Shafali doesn't seem to be in form.
"Harmanpreet can bat at three if you want a left-hand right-hand combination, followed by Deepti, and Mithali can control the innings at five if there is a top-order collapse," Edulji told PTI.
"Too many changes are being made at the moment. Let the players know they are going to bat at this number, tell them they are safe at that number. Harman has to bat higher now that she is in form.
"You can always be flexible in the last 20 overs with the likes of Richa and Pooja being promoted but your top four needs to be stable," she further said.
"You can't blow hot and cold like that," said Edulji on India's batting collapse against England, which saw the team get bundled out for just 134 while batting first.
Former captain Shantha Rangaswamy also expects consistency from the batters. She has backed Mithali to get among the runs as India gear up for a stiff challenge against Australia.
"With Smriti at the top and Harman returning to form, it is a good sign for India. Our bowlers have done well throughout the World Cup. They will overcome a major psychological barrier if they can beat Australia," said Rangaswamy.
"I don't see any changes in the batting order. Mithali has batted at three for the major part of her long career. I am confident that she will be back among the runs. Harman, at number five, is ideal, the team should not risk her against the moving ball.
"When she gets going, she is unstoppable. Really happy to see her back among the runs. She was dropped from one of the games and that fired her up. Everyone needs a jolt at some point in their career," she elaborated.
