Auckland: Mithali Raj’s inclusion could be the bone of contention for Indian women, who will be eyeing a much improved showing with the bat when they face an upbeat New Zealand in a must-win second T20 International here on Friday.
Indian batting is prone to collapses, especially from a position of strength. Chasing 160, India were going strong at 102 for 1 but Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues’ dismissal proved fatal for the visitors who collapsed to 136 all out, bringing back memories of their inexplicable surrender in the the 2017 50-over World Cup final against England. Mithali’s years of experience could have come in handy in the series opener on Wednesday but she was dropped from the eleven. Debutant Priya Punia opened with Smriti Mandhana but lasted just five balls while another youngster Dayalan Hemalatha too could not do much at number four.
Mithali was not picked as the team management is looking to build a squad for the 2020 T20 World Cup in which the senior player is unlikely to feature. However, the youngsters did not deliver and she could be back for the second game considering that the series is on the line. Match starts 7.30 am IST. (PTI)
