edited by: Aditya Maheshwari
Last Update: February 24, 2023, 19:38 IST
Harmanpreet Kaur was dismissed for 52 (AFP Image)
Diana Edulji felt that Harmanpreet Kaur could have done better and said that she was jogging while taking the second run.
East India Cricketer Diana Edulji feels Harmanpreet Kaur could have done better when she completed the second run that resulted in her dismissal during the women’s T20 on Thursday. World Cup semi-final against England. The Indian skipper scored 52 to get India back in the game after India’s top-order Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana and Yastika Bhatia were dismissed early with just 28 runs on the scoreboard.
Harmanpreet and Jemimah Rodrigues stitched a crucial 69-run partnership to bring India back in the game. However, Harmanpreet failed to take her team over the line and was run out in the 15th over, completely turning the tide in Australia’s favour.
Edulji felt that the India skipper could have done better and said that she was jogging while taking the second run.
“She is thinking that the bat is stuck but if you see the second run then she was jogging. Why are you running comfortably when you know your wicket is so important? You have to play professional cricket to win . Look at the dive Perry did to save those two runs. That’s professionalism,” he told PTI.
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They didn’t give up till the end and we are not ready to fight at all. You can’t keep falling at the last hurdle all the time.
“She was casual on the second run. She thought she would reach comfortably. Sunil Gavaskar told us in the 1970s that you have to learn to ground your bat on every ball, only then you get into that habit.
Although still a teenager, Shafali Verma is in her fourth year of international cricket. She was not up to par in the World Cup and did not have her best time in the Under-19 World Cup where she was the captain.
“If Shafali Verma thinks she can’t be dropped then she is wrong. I would like to see videos of his dismissals, which ball has been good enough to get him out? His shot selection is very poor.
He said, ‘Even in the Under-19 World Cup, he did not do well with the bat, although the team won. Let the other U-19 opener (Shweta Sehrawat) come in and take her place.
“And what did Jemimah need to play that shot? You’ve got a boundary now, read the game a bit more looking at the game situation.
Edulji criticized Smriti and Harmanpreet for their inconsistency with the bat in major tournaments.
“Smriti and Harman have also been inconsistent, which is why India hasn’t won a major tournament. The talent is there but they need to be trained hard. We have enough firepower in the batting department.” Edulji feels the change in leadership won’t make much difference.
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“A captain is only as good as the team. When the memory comes, they are the players. It won’t make much difference. Also, it is high time to turn off the musical chairs of the support staff. What is the bowling coach doing? Bowling has gone bad. Spinners are completely out of form.
He said, ‘We beat Pakistan, West Indies with great difficulty. We should have gone all out against England to avoid Australia in the semi-finals. He also fought against Ireland. Okay these were tired (overused) wickets but everyone was playing on the same surface,” Edulji said.
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