Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai
India’s World Cup campaign in the UAE crash-landed with a thud after New Zealand defeated Pakistan in their final group game and progressed to the last four along with Australia. So, how was India’s overall performance? Who were some of the better performers? Here are RevSportz’s ratings for the Indian players who took part in the tournament.
Shafali Verma – 4.5
The opener accumulated 97 runs at an average of 24.25 and a strike-rate of 105.43. She did play a crucial hand of 43 versus Sri Lanka and also laid the foundation for India’s formidable total with an opening stand of 98 with Smriti Mandhana. She also made decent contributions against Pakistan and Australia. However, on an overall basis, more was expected from India’s swashbuckling batter. Her running between the wickets and fielding too weren’t of a high standard.
Smriti Mandhana – 3.5
The mainstay of the Indian line-up had a rather disappointing time with the bat in hand, accruing 75 runs at an average of just over 18. Her strike-rate of 94.93 too was on the lower side. Just like Shafali, Mandhana too essayed a vital hand of 50 against Sri Lanka. In that game, Mandhana was able to navigate the tricky phase and then change gears. Unfortunately, that turned out to be her only notable innings of the tournament.
In the all-important India-Australia game, too, Mandhana failed to make an impression. One of the few bright spots was that Mandhana came across as an able leader when she took over the reins from an injured Haramanpreet Kaur during Sri Lanka’s innings.
Harmanpreet Kaur – 8
The India skipper is currently the second highest run-getter in the tournament with 150 runs at an astounding average of 150. Her strike-rate of 133.92 also indicates that she scored her runs at a very good rate. Harmanpreet showed composure against Pakistan and changed gears according to the prevailing situation while facing Sri Lanka. She also played a valiant hand against Australia.
However, she did make quite a few mistakes as a captain. For instance, it didn’t make much sense that Harmanpreet used the seamers from one end through the first 15 overs of Australia’s innings in the spin-friendly climes of Sharjah. In that particular game, the way she farmed the strike in the last over also didn’t make for a good viewing.
Jemimah Rodrigues – 3.5
Jemimah Rodrigues finished the tournament with 68 runs at an average of 17. As a senior player of the Indian set-up, much more was expected from the middle-order bat. She is renowned for her ability to fluster the opponent with clever rotation of strike. We didn’t see much of it in the tournament. On a positive note, she continues to be India’s best fielder by a fair margin.
Richa Ghosh – 2
The wicketkeeper-batter had a forgettable time, scoring a mere 19 runs at an average of 6.33. Richa was expected to turbo-charge the Indian engine in the slog overs, but she couldn’t perform the task as per expectations. The one saving grace was that her wicketkeeping seems to be on an upward curve. She did drop a sitter while playing New Zealand, but her glove-work was very sharp when India faced Sri Lanka.
Deepti Sharma – 5
The all-rounder continues to be India’s utility cricketer. She plucked four wickets at an average of just over 28 and aggregated 49 runs at an average of 24.5. Deepti, though, might look back at the tournament as an opportunity missed. This was her chance to showcase her skills in a T20 World Cup, especially with the bat in hand.
Sajana Sajeevan – No rating
The all-rounder, who came in place of the injured Pooja Vastrakar after the opening fixture, didn’t bowl and compiled four runs in the only game where she got the chance to bat. The India captain didn’t seem to have any faith in her bowling skills.
Arundhati Reddy – 8
The seamer was one of the star performers with the ball. She took 7 wickets at an average of 12.85 and at an economy rate of 6. Arundhati’s style of bowling was suited to the conditions as she mostly zoomed the ball on the stumps and employed a variation or two. The next assignment for Arundhati could be to improve her batting skills.
Shreyanka Patil – 6.5
The off-spinner bagged four wickets at an average of 21. More importantly, Shreyanka’s economy rate of 5.6 was impressive, especially considering the fact that she is also one of India’s designated bowlers for the end overs.
Asha Sobhana – 6.5
She was one of the key bowlers for the Indian side in the UAE, bagging five wickets at an average of just 13. Sobhana’s tendency to give the ball some air was tailor-made for conditions that offered grip for the tweakers. Sobhana, though, dropped quite a few sitters.
Renuka Singh – 8
With seven wickets to her name, Renuka Singh led the bowling charts for India, alongside Arundhati. She consistently got inswing with the new ball. Renuka also employed the leg-cutter and cross-seam to keep her opponents in check. Her fielding also improved a bit as the tournament progressed.
Pooja Vastrakar – 2.5
Owing to an ankle injury, Pooja partook in just two matches, picking up one wicket. She was also involved in the significant 28-run stand with Harmanpreet against Australia.
Radha Yadav – 3
The left-arm spinner played in just one game versus Sri Lanka, taking 1 for 14 from two overs. The little bit of impact she made was in the field, grabbing a stunner to send Vishmi Gunaratne back to the hut.
