In support of Pratika Rawal’s selection over Shafali Verma in India’s women’s ODI World Cup squad, former all-rounder Reema Malhotra stated that consistency should be given more weight than X-factor.
Rawal has scored 703 runs at an average of 54 in 14 One-Day Internationals at a strike-rate of 87.43 after making her debut against the West Indies in December last year.
Shafali, on the other hand, has recently performed far below expectations for India A against Australia A, scoring 52, 4, and 36 in three ODIs and 41, 3, and 3 in the T20s that came before them.
“Shafali is a big name. She’s an X-factor you want in your team. But when you compare an X-factor with consistent performance, I think the captain and selectors rightly preferred the consistent player,” Malhotra told PTI-Bhasha.
“Pratika has earned her spot by capitalising on her opportunities. She has shown she has the technique and mindset required to represent India in ODIs,” said Malhotra who has played 41 ODIs and 22 T20Is for India.
India and Sri Lanka will co-host the World Cup, which is set to take place from September 30 to November 2.
Citing the Harmanpreet Kaur-led team’s ideal balance of youth and experience, Malhotra predicted that India would be a serious contender to win the championship in the showcase event.
“If you look at any past Women’s World Cup, this is India’s strongest team. It has seasoned players like Harmanpreet, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma, alongside powerful youngsters like Amanjot Kaur, Kranti Gaur, Shree Charani, and Richa Ghosh,” she said on the sideline of the Delhi Premier League.
“The team has a great mix of youth and experience. I don’t think you’ll find a better team for the World Cup. This team has the confidence to win the World Cup.”
India has made it to the final twice but has not yet won a World Cup. India lost to England by nine runs in the 2017 final, and Australia defeated them by 98 runs in 2005.
However, Malhotra believed that a more varied batting lineup and an enhanced bowling assault would bring about a change in strategy.
“The Indian team was always strong in batting but now they have pace options in Renuka Singh Thakur, Amanjot, and Arundhati Reddy, while in spin, there’s Deepti, Radha Yadav, and Sneh Rana.
“Sneh has matured a lot in white-ball cricket and knows how to bowl in ODIs. This spin trio will be very effective in Indian conditions,” Malhotra expressed her opinion while acknowledging that the squad has suffered a setback to pacer Pooja Vastrakar’s injury.
