Mithali Raj’s inclusion could be the bone of contention for India, who will be eyeing a series-leveller when they face an upbeat New Zealand in the second T20 International in Auckland on Friday.
The Indian middle-order is prone to collapses, especially without a set batter at the other end. In the first T20I, India were going strong at 102/1 but Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues’ dismissal proved fatal for the visitors who collapsed to 136 all out while chasing 160.
Raj, whose exclusion in the World T20 semi-final last year resulted in a controversy, was not part of the playing XI in the first match. But given the collapse, the question arises whether she should be played to give more stability to the batting order or continue building a team for the future.
Raj’s years of experience could have come in handy in the series opener on Wednesday but she was dropped from the eleven. Debutant Priya Punia opened with Smriti Mandhana but lasted just five balls while rookie Dayalan Hemalatha too could not do much at no 4.
Mithali was not picked as the team management is looking to build a squad for the 2020 T20 World Cup, where the veteran is unlikely to feature. However, the youngsters did not deliver and she could be back for the second game considering that the series is on the line.
New Zealand, on the other hand, are riding high on momentum having beaten India comprehensively in the previous two contests – the final ODI and the first T20.
The team is reliant too much on Mandhana’s contribution at the top. “Practically, I would say I have to bat till 20 overs that is the best option. The more I bat till 18 overs, we won’t collapse because if the top three or four batters can bat till the 18-20th overs then the rest can revolve around them, so tactically that is what I will try to do,” said Mandhana after the 23-run loss.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur would be itching to produce a match-winning effort, something she has not done so far on the tour. The situation was tailor-made for her in the previous game but failed to take the team past the finishing line.
They will have to be wary of pacer Lea Tahuhu, who struck thrice in Wellington and was named Player-of-the-match. Opener Sophie Devine smashed a 48-ball 62.
Squads:
India: Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Smriti Mandhana, Mithali Raj, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Anuja Patil, Ekta Bisht, Dayalan Hemalatha, Mansi Joshi, Arundhati Reddy, Shikha Pandey, Priya Punia.
New Zealand: Amy Satterthwaite(c), Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Sophie Devine, Hayley Jensen, Caitlin Gurrey, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Frances Mackay, Katey Martin, Rosemary Mair, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu.