Former skipper Diana Edulji has no hesitation in saying that India’s U-19 stars fielded better in their victorious T20 World Cup campaign than the senior players’ effort in South Africa and believes that if ‘yo Yo’ test happens so most of them will struggle. Becomes mandatory in women’s cricket. Edulji, who was part of the Supreme Court-appointed committee that ran the BCCI for 33 months, was surprised by the fielding effort displayed by India in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in Cape Town on Thursday.
Speaking to PTI, Edulji said that poor fitness levels were responsible for the team’s mediocre fielding and running between the wickets. He also thought that skipper Harmanpreet Kaur was accidental during the second run, before her bat got caught in the ground and the game-changing run-out. With another T20 World Cup due in September next year, Edulji wants the BCCI to appoint permanent support staff in the women’s team and not recruit personnel from the NCA on an ad hoc basis.
‘Most fail in yo yo test’
Edulji criticized the fitness level of the current team, saying that the victorious Under-19 World Cup-winning team is looking fit. “I found the U-19 team more fit than the seniors. They didn’t succumb to the finals. Same old story from 2017 to 2023 (for the senior team).” fitness. I know the yo yo test is a bit difficult for women. 12 out of 15 will fail that test but you have a different criteria for them for acceptable fitness standards. Right now there is no accountability on this front.
India were poor in their fielding and catching while Australia were brilliant, making the difference in the end. “You are definitely looking at an overhaul (in terms of planning and preparation after the World Cup loss). He needs to improve fitness first, his fielding, his catching while running between the wickets. I don’t have the strength, you won’t be able to walk.
That’s from our semi-final game.
Australia win by 5 runs.
scorecard – https://t.co/fVVsNjFbjU #INDvAUS #t20worldcup pic.twitter.com/lq17aY6L9W– BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) February 23, 2023
“They need absolute batsmen to reach the top (BCCI needs to crack the whip). You are getting everything from BCCI including level playing field.” BCCI will have to take a tough decision and will not bow down to the demands of the players. Edulji said, “Make a proper strategy for the future. We have too much of this star culture. It will not work like this.”
‘Harman was careless while taking second run’
Harmanpreet’s run out was the turning point of the game and Edulji felt the Indian skipper could have done better. “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 that your wicket is so important? Playing professional cricket to win you Will. Check out the dive.” Perry turned out to save those two runs. This is professionalism.
“They don’t give up till the end and we are not at all ready to fight. You can’t always fall at the last hurdle.” She thought that she would reach comfortably. We were told by Mr. Sunil Gavaskar in the 1970s that you have to learn to ground your bat on every ball, only then you get into that habit. “Her bat was in the wrong hand (left). Had she held it in her right hand, she would have been able to stretch herself and complete the runs,” he said.
Bad shot selection by Shafali
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 her dismissals, which ball has been good enough to get her out? Her shot selection is so bad.
a crushing defeat for @BCCI Women against australia #ICCWomensT20WorldCup, But we can’t take pride in the spirit of our girls on the field. The team gave it their all and showed that they are true warriors. We stand with you, Women in Blue! #INDWvsAUSW– Jay Shah (@JayShah) February 23, 2023
“Even in the U-19 World Cup, she didn’t perform with the bat, though the team won. Let the other U-19 opener (Shweta Sehrawat) come and replace her.”
“And what did Jemimah need to play that shot? You had already hit a boundary, read the game a bit more given the state of the game.
“Smriti and Harman have also been inconsistent, which is why India hasn’t won a major tournament. Talent is there but they have to be trained hard. We have enough firepower in the batting department.” Edulji feels that the change in leadership will not make much difference.
He said, “The captain is only as good as the team. If memory comes, it is the players. It won’t make much difference. Also, it is high time the musical chairs of the support staff were stopped. What can the bowling coach do? Have been.” ?The bowling has gone bad. The spinners are completely out of form.
“With great difficulty we beat Pakistan, West Indies. We should have tried our best against England to avoid Australia in the semi-finals. They also struggled against Ireland. Ok these were tired (overused) wickets But everyone was playing on the same surface.” added Edulji.