When India plays South Africa in a pivotal Group A match in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, Smriti Mandhana’s development as a more comprehensive T20 batter will be a major talking point, according to former bowler Shikha Pandey.
With two victories in as many games, India has gotten off to a great start to the season. However, Pandey thinks that a strong South African pace attack will be the hardest test yet for the in-form starting duo of Mandhana and Shafali Verma.
Speaking on JioHotstar’s “Game Plan,” Pandey stated that one of the match’s highlights might be the duel between Shafali and seasoned pacer Shabnim Ismail.
“India’s opening pair of Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma have given India many strong starts. But they will face their toughest test yet. South Africa has the best bowling attack in this Women’s T20 World Cup,” PTI quoted Pandey as saying.
“Shabnim Ismail has made a strong comeback and she’s bowling with good pace. Marizanne Kapp has already taken three wickets against Pakistan and is bowling with great control. Both will test the Indian openers with swing, seam and bounce.”
Mandhana will need to exercise caution against the shifting ball, Pandey continued, especially in light of her previous dismissals when attempting to drive away from the body.
“Smriti Mandhana has been dismissed in the past trying to drive away from her body, often caught in the slips or behind the stumps. She will need to be selective against the moving ball. Shafali loves a challenge, and Ismail is not afraid to use the bouncer. That will be a spicy contest,” she said.
Mandhana’s attempts to improve her power hitting were also commended by Pandey, who stated that the left-hander has developed from a timing player to a batter who can control every part of the field.
“India’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has worked extensively on her power-hitting. A perfect example of that was the WPL final, where we saw her playing shots through deep mid-wicket with great success,” she said.
“For someone who was known as a touch player, this is a big shift. Smriti is now accessing deep square leg, which was never her primary scoring area before. She is no longer just a timing player; she is now a complete T20 batter who can dominate both sides of the wicket.”
Jemimah Rodrigues should not be evaluated just on a few games, according to former India batsman Veda Krishnamurthy, who supported the middle-order batter’s comeback to form.
“You can’t be too worried about Jemimah Rodrigues’ performances so far in this T20 World Cup. She is too good a player to be judged on a few games,” she said.
According to Krishnamurthy, Jemimah’s 50-over World Cup achievements demonstrated her capacity to perform well under pressure.
“The knock against New Zealand and the match-winning innings in the semi-final against Australia showed what she is capable of. She has the backing of the team and the management,” she said.
