Harmanpreet said of Shikha’s inclusion, “We needed more pace options in SA.”
- Shikha Pandey last appeared in an Indian national team match in October 2021. The veteran seamer’s omission from India’s T20I team for the series against Australia was a hint that she might not be selected for the T20 World Cup. However, Pandey had a lot to be happy about last month when she made it onto the World Cup and tri-series squads, which also included South Africa and the West Indies.
- Harmanpreet Kaur, captain of the Indian cricket team, made the comment before India’s first tri-series match against South Africa in East London that the think-tank had chosen Pandey because of her extensive expertise and since the World Cup conditions are expected to favor the pace bowlers. Pandey’s 11 wickets in the senior women’s domestic T20 league at an economy rate of 4.28 are indicative of her strong results on the home circuit.
- In response, she remarked, “Well, as you know, she is a very accomplished bowler.” “Another factor is that we’ll be playing in South Africa, which is a more pacer-friendly environment than, say, India or Australia. Accordingly, we set out to fortify our medium pacers (attack). You may have noticed that we have been playing with more spinners, but our desire for more pace bowling alternatives in South Africa is the primary motivation for re-signing her. She is a player who “can stroke the ball on the Powerplay,” and she has excelled this season at home.
- She can also bowl effectively in the final few overs of a match. We have had a few run-throughs, and she has been given a variety of circumstances in which to put her skills to the test. And we’ll talk about the game plan and where she feels most at ease moving around the field now that she’s finally going to get to play again after all this time.
- India will also need to fill a few spots for the tri-series because Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh are competing in the Under-19 World Cup. Finding Smriti Mandhana’s opening partner is one such thing. Yastika Bhatia, a left-hander, has opened in the top spot once in Twenty20 Internationals, in 2017. That match was played against New Zealand. On the other hand, Sabbhineni Meghana has batted 150 times while playing six times at that position.
- “Well, we do have some choices. In addition to Meghana, Yastika is also a great choice for us. I propose that we have a little chat. It appears like everyone is in fine form, and the hitters in the practise nets are producing some impressive results. With Shafali absent, we need to make a call on who will make the first introduction to Smriti. I’m relieved that we can choose between a couple of different paths. A captain needs tough competition to force him to put in serious thought when selecting his starting eleven.
- In addition, India would get a major boost from the healthful return of crucial all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar. Kaur observed that Vastrakar has looked sharp with the bat and the ball during recent practise sessions.
- The answer is yes; she is here with us. She’s been dominating in the batting cages, and the physiotherapist is the one who can give you the last call. What I can tell is that she is doing well in both the batting and bowling departments. We only need to check up with her physio to see how she is doing before finalising the XI. How much work do we have to handle? She’s a jack-of-all-trades in every sector and an invaluable asset overall.
- The Indian team has also been joined by NCA’s fast bowling coach, Troy Cooley. Cooley has extensive expertise in the field, having worked with the men’s teams of both England and Australia. A new member has arrived: Troy. Every time we’ve gone to NCA, we’ve worked with him, and nearly every bowler there is familiar with him. They have a firm grasp of his methods. That means he’s already on board. He’s giving advice to all the bowlers in the league. We worked with him for a few sessions, and he provided advice to the bowlers. I think he’s putting in a lot of hard work, and eventually, I think, we’ll see some fruit from it.
