Team India find themselves in a tight situation ahead of their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 clash against Bangladesh after suffering a defeat to South Africa in Manchester. Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Game Plan’, JioStar experts Shikha Pandey and Veda Krishnamurthy discussed Captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s strike rate, Jemimah Rodrigues’ form, and the possible changes India could make to their playing XI.
Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Game Plan’, JioStar expert Shikha Pandey reckoned that a change in the batting order might help Captain Harmanpreet Kaur rediscover her midas touch:
“Harmanpreet Kaur’s strike rate is a cause for concern for India’s middle order. If a wicket falls early, we have seen Yastika Bhatia walk in, with Jemimah Rodrigues at number four. We might see Harman come in to bat at number four and Jemimah drop down to number five. But wherever she bats, Harman should stop thinking about the wickets that have fallen and not try to rebuild because we have seen that when Harmanpreet Kaur is on song, she is a completely different player altogether. Once she gets set, we’ll see those straight drives and those shots over deep mid-wicket. She is excellent against spinners, so if she can just get set, it will be great for India.”
On Shree Charani’s exceptional run in the tournament so far:
“The way Shree Charani has bowled in tandem with Deepti Sharma has been great to watch. In the three games she has played so far, she has taken 10 wickets. She has been varying her pace really well. The wicket she got of Annerie Dercksen was probably the best ball you would want to bowl as a left-arm spinner, pitching on off and middle and taking out the off stump. She has been phenomenal with her lengths while keeping the stumps in play all the time.”
Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Game Plan’, JioStar expert Veda Krishnamurthy shared her thoughts on Jemimah Rodrigues’ form in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026:
“It’s about believing in yourself. When there are a couple of low scores, you start thinking too much, and that is when a batter kind of goes into a shell. The wickets fell at regular intervals against South Africa. Every time it looked like a partnership was going to build, a wicket fell. In T20 cricket, you need to maintain that momentum as much as possible. So, for Jemimah, I’d still like to see her bat at number three. Just give her one role because it makes it a lot easier to prepare that way. The minute you say, ‘Be flexible,’ you don’t know whether to be ready from the first ball or from the third over. It kind of gets difficult for a batter. So, give that clarity, either say you’re going to bat at number four or at number three. Don’t keep shuffling her around according to the situation of the game.”
On bringing Radha Yadav back into the playing XI:
“I’d like to see changes in the XI. I think Kranti Gaud will be back against Bangladesh. You need that genuine fast bowler. We saw what Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail did against India. Along with that, for role clarity, I’d have Jemimah at number three, which means Yastika doesn’t fit into that batting order. I know Radha Yadav dropped a couple of catches, which were crucial in the way the game turned out in the end. But I’d still back her to bat at number five. A couple of left-arm spinners could have been handy against South Africa. We saw how Shree Charani went about her business. Malaba was also very good for South Africa. So, you just have to go with what a player brings to the table, and I think Radha Yadav brings a lot.”
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