Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy has come under the scanner after India’s first-round exit from the ongoing Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the UAE.
The Women in Blue finished third in the Group A points table with two victories from four matches. While the Kaur-led side managed to beat Pakistan and Sri Lanka, it suffered defeats at the hands of New Zealand and Australia.
After losing to Australia in Sharjah on October 13, India’s semi-final fate was not in their hands. They needed Pakistan to beat New Zealand in the last group match but the outcome was totally opposite, resulting in the elimination of 2020 T20 World Cup runners-up.
In the wake of the dismal campaign, Harmanpreet is facing the possibility of getting sacked from captaincy as the BCCI is reportedly considering appointing a new leader.
Meanwhile, former skipper Mithali Raj has expressed her disappointment over India’s performance, not just in the ongoing World Cup but in recent years, saying she saw no growth in the team in the “last two three years” and also called for change in leadership.
Mithali attributed India’s poor show in the showpiece tournament to the failure of adjusting to the conditions in the UAE.
“Surprisingly, we took time to adjust to the slowness of the wicket. Unlike an ODI World Cup, it is a short tournament, you don’t have a lot of time to adjust to the conditions. Someone like (New Zealand captain) Sophie Devine was able to score that many runs (57 not out) against us and she is not used to playing on slow tracks. We were not quick enough to adjust,” Mithali told PTI.
“I feel that in the last two-three years, I’ve not really seen any growth in this team. In the sense, like, I mean, beating the best side is what you always prepare for, but it seems like we are saturated in the sense we are beating other teams, and we are pretty happy in that. Every other team has shown growth despite limited depth, a case in point being South Africa. We have not,” she added.
Mithali also questioned India’s failure to determine their ideal playing XI during the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, in which they lost to the hosts in the title clash.
“I was doing commentary in the Asia Cup. To be very honest, I didn’t know what was happening. I’m sure they were aware that Asia Cup is the last series of matches that they’re going to play before the World Cup.
“When you know that this is the last game time that you’re going to have before you enter the big tournament, you do at least 70 per cent of your planning or 80 per cent of your planning. Like who your No. 5 or No. 6 is, these are people who would walk in a particular situation. But there it seemed they were playing only for that tournament,” she remarked.
In the end, Mithali Raj suggested the name of top-order batter Jemimah Rodrigues to succeed Harmanpreet as captain.
“Smriti (Mandhana, the vice-captain since 2016) is there but I think someone like Jemimah (Rodrigues), she’s 24, she’s young, she will serve you more. And (she) is someone who I feel on the field gets that energy. She speaks to everybody. I was very impressed by her in this tournament,” she stated.
(With PTI Inputs)
