As the second edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) kicks off today, the tournament will see five teams clash with title hopefuls. But for Team India, the WPL is a testing ground. Harmanpreet and his team have many challenges ahead of them ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup. Although they have already made their presence known in world cricket, cricket fans have often seen the Indian team falter in pressure situations. The imbalance in the team was evident in the recent series against Australia and England. Harman and his team managed to win only two of the six matches.
Read Also: Women’s Premier League Twenty20 cricket starts today, Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals at 8 pm
Team India has serious problems in all three departments including batting, bowling and fielding. The inconsistent batting order should be mentioned here, especially where the middle order and tail end fail completely. The abundance shown by the bowlers in conceding runs and the players forgetting the game in the outfield and in the field is a big headache for the Indian women’s cricket team. Coaches and selectors are looking forward to the WPL as there are no other international matches ahead of the World Cup. Women’s Premier League is an opportunity for India to find players for many positions and prepare the team for the World Cup.
Overweight in Mandana
Smriti Mandana is a brilliant player in Indian women’s cricket. But often the complete responsibility in batting is seen on Mandana’s shoulders alone. If we look at the results of the last six matches, India could win only two matches in which the player scored. The main weakness in the batting line-up is that the middle order will not be able to handle the pressure if Mandana is out quickly. It should also be mentioned that Shefali Verma fails to provide good support to Mandana. At the same time, Mandana’s average of 27.46 runs in Twenty20 shows that he needs to improve his batting as an opener.
Smriti Manthana’s batting against Australia (Photo: FB @ IndianCricketTeam)
The captain should ‘lead’ from the front
Another problem is captain Harmanpreet’s lack of form. In all the previous matches, the captain was seen struggling to establish himself at the crease and find his rhythm. Harman, like Mandana, is an impact batsman in the team and one of the players the team relies on the most. Therefore, when Harman is out, the tail end cannot do anything. The country is looking forward to the return of the captain who can easily face the spinners through the WPL. Harman, who performed brilliantly last season, is expected to make a comeback this season.
Harmanpreet Kaur
Who is in the role of finisher?
India’s efforts to find a better finisher go back years. The second ODI against Australia was one of the matches that highlighted the absence of a finisher. When Richa Ghosh was dismissed for 96 runs, India needed 41 runs off 37 balls to win. With stars like Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar and Harleen Deol remaining to make up for the loss, India won the match but lost to the Kangaroos by three runs. It is a challenge for India that there are no suitable players in the middle order while chasing the target of victory. India is hoping to solve that problem when a handful of players who can shine in the role of finisher take the field in the WPL this time.
Department of spinning spins
India’s bowling problem is the lack of good spinners. Although there are a handful of players to name, there are few players who can make it to the team with their performances. Several slow left-arm bowlers have recently been fielded in the national team on trial basis. Anusha Reddy, Rajeshwari Gaekwad, Mannath Kashyap, Saika Ishaq and Radha Yadav have all been playing for India in the last few years but none have been able to make it into the team regularly.
Same goes for leg spinners. This is a problem that needs to be solved as soon as possible for India at the World Cup stage, which supports spin. No matter who wins the Women’s Premier League, Indian players will get more marks for their individual performances. That’s why the tournament is crucial for everyone from captain Harmanpreet to Malayalee star Minnu Mani.
2024-02-23 11:17:20
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