‘Harmanpreet Kaur should give up captaincy’ – Diana Edulji unhappy with India Women’s lazy approach

Diana Edulji, the former India women’s skipper, wasn’t a happy person after India lost the final of the T20I tri-series against Australia by 11 runs. The Women in Blue were bowled out for 144 courtesy Jess Jonassen’s five-wicket haul. At the Junction Oval in Melbourne, India needed 41 off 35 to get over the line, but after Smriti Mandhana got out, scoring a half-century, the rest of the batting collapsed.

Edulji, who was a part of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators, came down hard on skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues, saying that the duo needs to up their game. Edulji reckons that Kaur should give up captaincy to focus on her batting.

“Both Harmanpreet and Jemimah need to pull up their socks. Maybe Harman should give up captaincy and play her natural game. Something seems to be troubling her. But who else takes over then? If Smriti is handed captaincy, it might affect her batting too,” Edulji was quoted as saying in ESPNcricinfo.

India is a team which can win every game, says Edulji

Edulji also sounded unhappy about India’s lazy approach and said their batters don’t try to convert ones into twos. “They are so lazy that they never try for a second. These are the things that make all the difference. It is a single or a boundary, there is nothing in between,” Edulji quipped.

Speaking on India’s inconsistency amidst sparks of brilliance, Edulji said, “There is something wrong with this team. This is a team which can win every game and it does win from an unlikely situation but the next game it is losing from a comfortable position like it did today. They are simply not consistent enough.”

Mandhana was the leading run-scorer of the series, amassing 216 runs at 43.20 with two fifties to show for her efforts. But barring her, the Indian batting seemed to flounder. Left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gaekwad was the top wicket-taker, picking up 10 wickets at an economy of 6.30.

India are now gearing up for the T20 World Cup, starting February 21. Kaur and Co’s opening game is against the Aussies on the opening day at the Sydney Showground Stadium. Prior to that, India are also scheduled to lock horns with Pakistan and the West Indies in Brisbane in a couple of warm-up matches.