Former India cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy believes that India’s early batting collapse against Zimbabwe’s slower bowlers in the opening women’s T20I should serve as an eye-opener for the batters ahead of the second game on Sunday.
India recovered from 19/4 to chase down a target of 115 in 15.4 overs, winning with 26 balls to spare at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium on Friday. Deepti Sharma scored 49, while Niki Prasad remained unbeaten on 39 to help India take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Nyasha Gwanzura dismissed Mandhana and Anushka Sharma, while Michelle Mavunga removed Harmanpreet Kaur before Shafali Verma fell to Nyasha, leaving India reeling at 19/4 inside four overs.
“India lost a couple of wickets early on; it takes time to adjust to slower bowlers, and that is exactly what happened.
There is no taking away from the class of the top-order players, but I believe they will be much better prepared in the next game,” she told JioStar. The attacking intent Deepti brought allowed Niki Prasad to take her time and understand the situation,” she said. The batters had been practising at a certain pace to prepare for the level of competition they face globally, particularly against teams like Australia and England. However, this game was an eye-opener for the Indian batters. India’s top order struggled after captain Smriti Mandhana struck two boundaries in the opening over. “It was an excellent partnership. You needed someone with that experience to come in, especially when the wickets fell. Deepti Sharma is a very versatile batter, and the left-right combination also unsettles bowlers.
The Indian batters took time to adjust to Zimbabwe’s slower bowlers, adding that the experience should help them prepare better for the next match, according to Veda.
