SERIES PREVIEW
Follow UsIf you're a fan of women's sport and followed Indian cricket to the absolute T, the week gone by has indeed opened a pandora's box on the direction the team management has opted for in the three-match series against Bangladesh.
Four months after returning from their international hiatus since the heart-wrenching loss in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup in South Africa, the Women in Blue have ringed in wholesome changes to their 18-member squad, especially the bowling department.
Read more: Ambiguity in selection headlines India Women's return
While most people expected players who performed well in the Women's Premier League to make the cut, it is baffling to see not one of them rewarded for their performances, unlike their male counterparts.
On the other hand, Bangladesh cricket as well has been riddled with controversies in the recent past. Well, not talking about the recent Tamim Iqbal's retirement that rocked the cricketing world, I am referring to another significant exclusion of Jaharana Alam from the squad.
The right-arm pacer is the fourth leading wicket-taker for the side in the shortest format, and her recent snub is an indication that all is not well with the team management and the players.
While the off-field issues have well and truly taken centre stage in the lead-up to the series, Harmanpreet Kaur and Nigar Sultana will hope for the players to produce some scintillating performances to help the focus get back on the sport.
India's top-heavy conundrum
Over the years, the Indian team have a settled opening combination with Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana dismantling the opposition in the powerplay.
While the duo will be slated to walk to bat on Sunday (July 9) for the first T20I, Harmanpreet Kaur and the Indian team will be wary of the lack of firepower down the order.
Jemimah Rodrigues and the skipper will walk in at number three and four, and with Richa Ghosh dropped from the squad owing to fitness issues, Yastika Bhatia is set to bat at number five for the Women in Blue.
However, the southpaw has failed to create her magic for the national side down the order. In the 10 T20I innings, she has scored 146 runs at an average of 14.59 and a strike rate of 85.4, which are dismal numbers for any batter.
The 22-year-old has decent numbers opening the batting as she has scored 96 runs in four innings at an average of 24 and a strike rate of 93.2.
There ain't any doubt that opening the batting is her strongest suit, and it was in full flow for the Mumbai Indians in the Women's Premier League, where she amassed 214 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 112.04.
"Opening the batting suits me. I enjoy batting at the top of the order as I get more balls to build my innings," she said in a press conference after her 27-ball 47 that power Mumbai Indians over the line against UP Warriorz.
With the lack of explosive options down the order, the Indian team can opt to use Yastika at number three and push Rodrigues and Harmanpreet down the order to shoulder the responsibility of the side in the back end of the innings.
End of the road for Jahanara Alam?
While the absence of Richa created a bit of buzz around social media, Jahanara Alam's exclusion from the Bangladesh squad, too, met with a similar feat.
The right-arm pacer is the fourth leading wicket-taker in the shortest format for the national side, with 57 scalps in 78 innings at an average of 23.3 and an economy rate of 5.6 runs per over.
While there is no explanation for the reason behind her snub, it is fair to speculate that her relationship with the team management and the women's cricket wing has been at loggerheads for the past couple of months.
The 30-year-old was dropped from the Qualifiers of the Commonwealth Games in February, and she did express her disappointment in an explosive letter to the board, citing bias nature of the selectors and the team management.
While she made a comeback to the side soon after that, her bowling exploits have never been the same as she struggled to scalp a single wicket in the three T20Is against Sri Lanka in March, leading to her downfall.
With the team keen to blood young pacers like Disha Biswas in the squad and give them a longer run at the international level, Jahanara's international career is hanging by a thread.
India's finishing trouble
The Women in Blue have come agonisingly close to lifting the world title not once, not twice, but thrice in the last six years. If the 2017 World Cup at the Home of Cricket was an indication of India's finishing trouble, their slip-up in the summit clash of the Commonwealth Games confirmed the chink in their armour.
With 43 runs required off the last 39 deliveries and eight wickets in hand, India lost Rodrigues to a fighting 33-run knock. However, her dismissal opened the floodgates, and India were all-out for 152, losing the game by nine runs.
In the semi-final clash against arch-rivals Australia, India lost Harmanpreet with 41 runs required off 32 deliveries on a pretty good batting surface in Newlands.
However, the lower-order crumbled under pressure, and the Aussie outfit recorded a five-run win in a thrilling fashion to break a million hearts yet again.
While the team management banked on Richa Ghosh and Pooja Vastrakar down the order to smash some big blows and help the team get over the line, the duo have failed to replicate their heroics in crucial situations.
With the next T20 World Cup set to take place in this nation in September, the three games would be an ideal opportunity for them to kickstart their hunt for a finisher.
Squads:
Bangladesh: Nigar Sultana Joty (Captain and wk), Nahida Akter (vice-captain), Dilara Akter, Shathi Rani, Shamima Sultana, Sobhana Mostary, Murshida Khatun, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Disha Biswas, Marufa Akter, Shanjida Akther Maghla, Rabeya, Sultana Khatun, Salma Khatun and Fahima Khatun
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Harleen Deol, Devika Vaidya, Uma Chetry (wk), Amanjot Kaur, S. Meghana, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Anjali Sarvani, Monica Patel, Rashi Kanojiya, Anusha Bareddy, Minnu Mani
