With India opener Pratika Rawal suffering an injury which will likely rule her out of the all-important Women’s World Cup semifinal vs Australia on Thursday, former skipper Mithali Raj backed Harleen Deol to be promoted to the opening slot.
“The question now is who opens with Smriti if Pratika isn’t fit to take the field on the 30th. The first option could be promoting number three, Harleen, since she’s often walked in early and is comfortable facing the new ball,” Mithali said on JioStar.
Rawal was injured while fielding at deep midwicket vs Bangladesh on Sunday when her foot got stuck in the damp outfield and she twisted her ankle. She was taken away from the field with Arundhati Reddy coming in as a substitute fielder. A stretcher was also rushed to the field by the ground staff but it was not needed as the batter hobbled off the field with the help of the Indian support staff.
After the injury, India sent out Amanjot Singh with Smriti Mandhana to open the innings, a move that Mithali found surprising.
“Ideally, today was a great opportunity for Harleen to open and build that equation with Smriti, assuming Pratika might not be available. If Pratika is fit, the same batting line-up continues. But sending Amanjot to open was something I didn’t quite understand. Yes, she needed some time out in the middle, but perhaps she could’ve slotted in at number three instead of opening,” she added.
Rawal, 25, has been in stellar form throughout the tournament, amassing 308 runs from six innings at an average of 51.33, including a century.
Mithali also suggested an alternative in wicketkeeper-batter Uma Chetry, who replaced Richa Ghosh against Bangladesh. However, her inclusion in the semifinal XI could depend on team balance.
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“The other option is Uma Chetry, but if Richa Ghosh returns as wicketkeeper, then Uma might sit out.”
