Mithali Raj gave a statement after the Indian team’s exit from the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, that if the Indian team is looking for a new captain then this is the right time to take a decision. Harmanpreet Kaur has been leading the Indian team since Raj left the captaincy in 2016. She led the team in four editions of the T20 World Cup but the latest edition was the worst in terms of performance.
Mithali Raj’s statement on the decision of captaincy
Raj told PTI, “If the selectors are planning a change then I will go with a young captain. This is the time for change because if you delay further then there is also an ODI World Cup next October. If you do not change the captain now then there will be no point in changing the captain later.”
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“Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain since 2016) is an option but I would go with Jemimah (Rodrigues) because she is just 24 and is quite young. She can lead the team for a longer period of time. And she is someone who brings a lot of energy to the field. She talks to everyone. I was really impressed by her in this tournament.”
“Apart from the cameo roles, she has not been able to convert starts into big scores but if anyone tried to build momentum without momentum, it was her. When there was momentum, she tried to keep that momentum going.”
Mithali Raj- The reason behind the exit from the T20 World Cup…
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Mithali Raj attributed India’s early exit from the tournament to the team’s delay in adapting to the conditions. The Indian team played cricket for two months before the tournament and in the meantime, the players were part of the camp. While Australia and New Zealand were coming into the tournament after playing against each other, South Africa had toured Pakistan just before the World Cup.
“I was commentating in the Asia Cup. Honestly, I couldn’t understand what was happening. When you know you are playing your last match before a big tournament, you should have at least 70-80 percent of your plans at that time. Like who will bat at number four, five or six, who will come to bat in a particular situation. But it seemed as if they were playing only for that tournament (Asia Cup).”
“It was fully visible during the World Cup. The bench could have been tried against weaker teams in the Asia Cup but it wasn’t done. How does the men’s team perform so well? Because right after a big series they try out other players.” Mithali Raj also commented on the fitness of the players and considered it to be one of the reasons for dropped catches in the tournament.
“I was very sad to see the fielding against Australia. Except for Radha Yadav and to a lesser extent Jamie, no one else impressed me in the field. So, just two players out of 11 being good is not enough. Fitness is something that you have to work on throughout the year. It is not like you organize a camp before the tournament and its effect will start showing on the field.”
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