Mithali Raj dissected India's defeat to South Africa on Sunday, June 21, and mentioned changes the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side should make in the upcoming match against Bangladesh
On Sunday, at Old Trafford, India had a great chance to all but confirm their spot in the semi-final. Chasing a 159-run target, South Africa had only reached 25/2 in six overs. The required run rate climbed to over 10 in the next few overs. However, Marizanne Kapp played a world-class innings of 81* off 45 balls to help the Proteas
win the match by six wickets with five balls to spare.
Raj said that India now have no other option but to beat Australia in order to reach the semi-final. She urged Harmanpreet Kaur to swap positions in the batting order with Jemimah Rodrigues. Against South Africa, Jemimah batted at No. 4, while Harmanpreet came in at No. 5.
"It was a disappointing game for India because, had they won this, they would be on top of the table, and now they have no other choice but to beat Australia to get into the semi-finals. It was their game to win because it's a little tough road ahead. From batting order point of view, we haven't seen Harmanpreet bat that late at number five very often, so perhaps she can come in at number four and Jemimah at number five," Raj said while speaking on JioStar's 'Adidas Match Centre Live'.
"Jemimah has played at number five before and scored a lot of runs there. By the time she comes in, she will most likely face the spinners, which is her strength. She can use her feet and plays the scoops and sweeps well. That could help build her confidence, get her back into rhythm and regain that momentum, with Harmanpreet batting ahead of Jemimah," she added.
Raj was particularly impressed by left-arm spinner Shree Charani's spell. The youngster picked up three wickets in four overs and conceded just 24 runs.
"Shree Charani is a quick learner. She made her debut in English conditions, so she pretty much knows the conditions. There wasn't much turn on offer for her on a pitch like this, but she made sure that she was attacking the stumps consistently and keeping them in play as much as she could. She varied her pace and lengths and even set the fields she wanted. Getting those two big wickets in that one over brought India back into the game. Even when she was brought on for her second spell, Charani bowled very tight lines. She hardly gave anything away outside off-stump," Raj stated.
Did India miss Shreyanka Patil? Mithali Raj answers
The former India captain believes that India missed the services of the injured Shreyanka Patil. She also mentioned that skipper Harmanpreet missed a trick by not giving Prema Rawat one more over in the middle.
"Obviously, with Shreyanka Patil not being there, you could sense her absence, since she is easily your four-over bowler. But Shafali Verma took responsibility and did the job rather well in both the Powerplay and the middle overs. T20 cricket is all about key moments, and the mind goes back to those dropped catches of Marizanne Kapp. She got three reprieves, capitalised on them, and the Indian team didn't. I also feel they could have trusted Prema Rawat for one more over in the middle. A leg-spinner bowling to two right-handers, taking the ball away from them, does put some doubt in a batter's mind," Raj opined.
For the game against Bangladesh on Thursday, June 25, Raj suggested that India should make two changes. She urged the team management to bring in Kranti Gaud and Radha Yadav into the side.
"I would definitely look at Kranti Gaud in the side. You need bowlers who can take wickets upfront in the Powerplay, and Kranti has that ability. The second player would be Radha Yadav. Yes, she dropped a couple of catches in this game, but I still want to see her in the XI because she brings another left-arm spin option. We saw what Shree Charani did against the South Africans. So, nothing against Yastika, but if she is not batting at number three and has to move down the order, I would rather have a player like Radha, who can contribute in multiple departments. Those are the two changes I am expecting for the next game," Raj concluded.
