Women's T20 Asia Cup 2026 - Harmanpreet's captaincy record, a solid No. 3 among India's concerns

India have been among the many favourites on the current T20 World Cup, however they have been uncovered on a variety of fronts which resulted in a league-stage exit. The upcoming T20 Asia Cup offers them a possibility to start out planning for the 2028 T20 World Cup, and on the best way, they can even compete in two extra T20 tournaments: the T20 Champions Trophy (early 2027), and the LA28 Olympics (July 2028). Listed here are among the points India would need to resolve shortly.

Who’s India’s No. 3?

With Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana on the prime, what India want is a gradual hand at No. 3. The incumbent is Jemimah Rodrigues, however the staff administration moved her down the order to accommodate Yastika Bhatia at one-down after two video games in the course of the T20 World Cup, solely to deliver Rodrigues again at No. 3 for the final league match.

This uncertainty across the spot was evident within the final T20 World Cup too, in 2024, when India shuffled Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur till they have been knocked out. It is curious that within the lead as much as each World Cups, it regarded like Rodrigues was the No. 3, however they strayed from that plan as soon as the match started – though it is evident that Rodrigues is their best option on the place within the format by far.

This Asia Cup will hardly assist India resolve this specific downside as a result of Rodrigues is out with a hamstring harm and Pratika Rawal has changed her within the squad. It does, nevertheless, give India the prospect to hone a back-up No. 3 and put together for 2028 with Rodrigues locked in for the spot.

Who’s the finisher?

India did not have a superb finisher in T20Is till Richa Ghosh arrived in 2020. However current accidents to allrounders Pooja Vastrakar, Amanjot Kaur and Kashvee Gautam have resulted in Ghosh being left to do all of the heavy lifting one her personal, significantly in the case of six-hitting.

Whereas Ghosh has smashed 32 sixes in T20Is from Nos. 5-7 within the last five years, the subsequent greatest on the checklist from India is Deepti Sharma with 5.

Harmanpreet usually does the job too, however she bats at No. 4, and is 37, and India must groom somebody to present Ghosh firm for the approaching years.

The WPL is now 4 seasons outdated, and there too India have not seen a transparent possibility emerge. Ghosh leads the six-hitting charts within the WPL as nicely with 36 sixes in 20 innings, with the next-best Indian being Bharti Fulmali with 14 from as many innings. Fulmali returned to T20Is not too long ago after seven years within the build-up to the current World Cup, however received solely sporadic possibilities: two in South Africa in April for scores of two and 40, earlier than just one innings – the place she scored 7 – within the England bilaterals when Harmanpreet was rested.

In the course of the World Cup too, Fulmali performed simply the opening sport, the place she lasted three balls, earlier than being neglected to accommodate Bhatia within the prime order.

Now that India have dropped Bhatia for each the Asia Cup and the Asian Video games in September, the time is ripe to present Fulmali a protracted rope towards totally different oppositions and even check out the 18-year-old G Kamalini, Bhatia’s alternative, in some video games.

Who’s the chief of the tempo assault?

India’s tempo assault would not encourage a lot confidence in T20Is both. As a lot as Kranti Gaud’s promise and Nandani Sharma’s current rise bode nicely, their inexperience confirmed within the T20 World Cup. Add to that Arundhati Reddy’s costly spells and Renuka Singh‘s numbers really fizzling out, India’s pacers ended with solely 5 wickets, the joint-lowest, within the match.

That their tempo unit’s financial system fee was higher than solely Netherlands’ and the common was the third-poorest are worrying indicators, particularly with Renuka managing her workload and accidents this 12 months.

India’s tempo assault stays the identical for the Asia Cup. They will not be examined the identical method as they have been in England, and the time is opportune for them to determine (1) what went flawed with Renuka regardless of her being essentially the most skilled; (2) why they have been unable to select wickets – particularly within the powerplay and loss of life overs; and (3) what’s their first-choice tempo assault with the Asia Cup (Dubai), the Asian Video games (Japan), the Champions Trophy (Sri Lanka) and the subsequent T20 World Cup (Pakistan) all being performed in Asia.

Ought to India look past Harmanpreet as captain?

Two consecutive T20 World Cups with out making the semi-finals, no Asia Cup title in 2024, and a poor file as T20I captain total in multi-nation tournaments. Since Harmanpreet took over as full-time captain ten years in the past, she has led India in 15 T20 tournaments involving three or extra groups, and received solely three of them: two Asia Cups (2016 and 2022), and one Asian Video games (2023).

So, below Harmanpreet, at any time when India have taken half in tournaments, even triangulars, when any of Australia, England and South Africa have additionally participated, India haven’t lifted the trophy.

Dig slightly deeper and it additionally emerges that the one groups India have defeated within the final two T20 World Cups have been Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Netherlands. Harmanpreet herself used the phrases “rethink” and “reset” after they have been knocked out within the current World Cup when requested what went flawed.

Harmanpreet is 37 and has battled a couple of accidents lately – together with a knee situation within the UK. The very last thing India would need is for her to interrupt down or for her to go out of shape within the lead as much as the 2028 T20 World Cup, components that are not completely in a participant’s management.

Maybe the selectors must take a leaf out of the boys’s choice panel’s e book, as they eliminated Suryakumar Yadav quickly after he helped India win the T20 World Cup earlier this 12 months. It was his poor type within the final 18 months that price him a spot within the aspect, and the selectors noticed a prepared candidate in Shreyas Iyer, going by his captaincy file within the IPL.

Equally, the ladies’s staff has a possible candidate within the vice-captain Mandhana, who has confirmed her mettle as T20 captain with two WPL trophies in 4 seasons, and is in among the finest phases of her batting profession. Mandhana is 30, and if given the captaincy quickly, she may get practically two years to construct a staff for the subsequent T20 World Cup.

Under no circumstances does it imply Harmanpreet should not be within the aspect, as she continues to be among the many greatest boundary-hitters within the staff and holds a significant place at No. 4. However that does not essentially imply she is the best captain at this stage.

Are India positive of their perfect T20 XI?

In a match that permits a most squad power of 15, India used 16 gamers within the current T20 World Cup. In fact, a part of that was due to an harm to Shreyanka Patil, however the reality stays that India used more players than anybody else within the match; Pakistan have been the one different staff to make use of all 15. Whereas India’s bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi known as it a coverage of “horses for programs”, the fixed chopping and altering mirrored the mentality of a staff administration that wasn’t positive, an XI that wasn’t settled, and a staff that was removed from reaching its potential.

Whether or not it was Rodrigues being shuffled up and down, the dearth of readability round Bhatia and Fulmali, and Nandani being the one fast bowler to get three video games in a row, all of it culminated in India trying unsettled. These many tweaks additionally are inclined to dent gamers’ confidence, and it is a state of affairs they have been anticipated to keep away from by enjoying a bilateral collection in England earlier than the World Cup.

The Asia Cup will give India three league video games – and one other two video games in the event that they make it to the ultimate, a run they might need to use to agency up a stable XI with out too many variables. Not only for the Asia Cup, however the harder battles forward.

Vishal Dikshit is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

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