Harmanpreet needs to play her natural game: Shikha Pandey

New Delhi: India captain Harmanpreet Kaur needs to stop thinking about the wickets falling around her and focus on playing her natural attacking game, believes former pacer Shikha Pandey, who says the batter can transform into a completely different player once she gets settled at the crease.

India are in a tricky position ahead of their ICC Women's T20 World Cup clash against Bangladesh after suffering a defeat against South Africa in Manchester.

Speaking on JioStar's 'Game Plan', Shikha and Veda Krishnamurthy analysed Harmanpreet's strike rate, Jemimah Rodrigues' form and the possible changes India could make to their playing XI.


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Shikha felt a tweak in the batting order could help Harmanpreet regain her rhythm, suggesting the skipper could move up to number four while Jemimah Rodrigues drops down the order.

"Harmanpreet Kaur's strike rate is a cause for concern for India's middle order. If a wicket falls early, we have seen Yastika Bhatia walk in, with Jemimah Rodrigues at number four. We might see Harman come in to bat at number four and Jemimah drop down to number five," she said.

"But wherever she bats, Harman should stop thinking about the wickets that have fallen and not try to rebuild because we have seen that when Harmanpreet Kaur is on song, she is a completely different player altogether.

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"Once she gets set, we'll see those straight drives and those shots over deep mid-wicket. She is excellent against spinners, so if she can just get set, it will be great for India," she added.

Shikha also praised young left-arm spinner Shree Charani for her outstanding performance in the tournament, having picked up 10 wickets in three matches.

"The way Shree Charani has bowled in tandem with Deepti Sharma has been great to watch. In the three games she has played so far, she has taken 10 wickets. She has been varying her pace really well," she said.

"The wicket she got of Annerie Dercksen was probably the best ball you would want to bowl as a left-arm spinner, pitching on off and middle and taking out the off stump. She has been phenomenal with her lengths while keeping the stumps in play all the time."

Meanwhile, former India batter Veda backed Jemimah to continue batting at number three and stressed the importance of giving her a clear role.

"It's about believing in yourself. When there are a couple of low scores, you start thinking too much, and that is when a batter kind of goes into a shell," Veda said.

"The wickets fell at regular intervals against South Africa. Every time it looked like a partnership was going to build, a wicket fell. In T20 cricket, you need to maintain that momentum as much as possible."

"For Jemimah, I'd still like to see her bat at number three. Just give her one role because it makes it a lot easier to prepare that way. The minute you say, 'Be flexible,' you don't know whether to be ready from the first ball or from the third over. It kind of gets difficult for a batter."

Veda also backed Radha Yadav's inclusion in the playing XI despite her costly missed chances against South Africa, saying India need to focus on the value a player brings.