The Women in Blue will kick start their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign on Friday, October 4 as they take on New Zealand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai. Ahead of their T20 World Cup opener, Indian women’s team head coach, Amol Mazumdar on Thursday, October 3 revealed skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur’s batting position.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Head Coach Amol Mazumdar said that Harmanpreet will continue to bat at number three position, like she did in the warm-up fixtures. Clarifying that the team had decided on their number three in the training camp itself in Bengaluru.
Harmanpreet to bat at No. 3: Amol Mazumdar
Speaking ahead of Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 opener against New Zealand, Mazumdar said that India Women’s all-format skipper will continue at that position. “Absolutely. Not just the warm-up games, but we had already decided back in India, in the camps that happened before we set off for the World Cup. We had a lovely camp in Bangalore. We had decided there itself. These pre-World Cup matches absolutely stamped that for us. Is it a surprise? No. If you can guess, you can go through the scorecards and you will find it,” Mazumdar said in the press conference.
Notably, this move from the Indian team comes seeing that the batter will get enough time to set in the middle before going for big shots. “The reasoning is clear. We want to give her the best chance to get set and take full advantage of her power hitting,” Mazumdar added. Speaking of 35-year-old, the veteran batter has scored 298 runs in 18 innings while batting at number three at an average of 21.28. While batting at number three in the two warm-up matches against West Indies and South Africa, Harmanpreet Kaur scored 11 runs.
Will Harmanpreet Kaur bowl in Women’s T20 World Cup 2024?
The Indian women’s head coach, Amol Mazumdar while speaking at the pre-match press conference, was also asked of a sixth bowling option in Harmanpreet Kaur. He added that although the skipper hasn’t bowled in a while, she has enough experience to roll over her arms at the crucial stages of the game.
“Yeah, I mean, we’ve paid a lot of attention to the sixth bowling option. Also, for a fact that we have had multiple discussions on our top six, within our top six, at least three to four have to bowl,” Mazumdar said. “And if we can get those overs out of them, then you know, nothing like it. And all of them could bowl. So, it’s just a question of applying and just putting in those hard yards in the nets and then converting that into a performance,” Muzumdar continued.
“So, I think, yeah, Harman hasn’t bowled, but I think she bowled in the second T20 warm-ups. And she’s experienced enough to bowl those overs,” the coach said. It is to be noted that the 35-year-old hasn’t rolled her arms over in any of the 15 T20Is that India have played this year.