India need to experiment, take hard decisions to become trophy contenders: Reema Malhotra

New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) Former India cricketer Reema Malhotra believes the national women’s T20I team needs to make some ‘hard decisions’ and embrace tactical changes if they are to transition into a side capable of consistently challenging for global silverware.

Reema’s comments come after Australia won their seventh Women’s T20 World Cup at Lord’s on Sunday. Analyzing the road ahead for the Indian women’s T20I team, who failed to enter the semi-finals, Reema also stated that relying solely on individual brilliance will not suffice.

“You will have to do better in all three departments. You cannot remain dependent on just Shafali Verma because she has that X-factor. You also need a player like Phoebe Litchfield at number three, who, even if a wicket falls in the Powerplay, does not let the run rate drop and plays freely without the fear of losing her wicket,” she said on JioStar.

She also strongly advocated for promoting explosive wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh up the order to maximize her impact in the shortest format. “If you have a player like Richa Ghosh, then bat her higher up the order. You cannot have an extraordinary talent like that facing just 10 balls.

“In T20 cricket, strike rate has to be your number one priority, followed by fitness, which will help improve your fielding. India need to find a leg-spinner as well, who can be their wicket-taking option in the middle overs.

Highlighting the role of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in widening the talent pool, Reema added, “Because of the WPL, the chances of discovering new talent will only increase. Hence, to build a team that can not only compete but also challenge for the trophy, you will have to experiment now and take some hard decisions.”

She further lauded Australia’s star opener Beth Mooney for her big-match temperament, after she hit 64 in the successful chase of 151 and helped the side win their first global event since the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Apart from winning Player of the Match in the final, Beth also bagged Player of the Tournament award.

“It seems her game gets even better when the pressure doubles, because your shot selection becomes crucial then. She applies herself brilliantly and allows the person at the other end to settle in, giving them the freedom to play their shots because she has the ability to accumulate runs while playing conventional cricketing shots.

“We say that T20 cricket is a game of power and big shots, but watching Mooney play, you realise it is also a game of mindset. Knockout matches and Beth Mooney have become a beautiful love affair, where you see her score half-centuries consistently. Forget how she plays throughout the tournament, as soon as the knockout stage arrives, she puts her hand up and says, ‘I am here, don’t worry,'” concluded Reema.

–IANS

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