"If you are looking at Jemimah as a No. 5, I think Harman should walk in at No. 3" - Veda Krishnamurthy on India's batting order for Women's T20 WC
Veda Krishnamurthy feels if the team management wants Jemimah Rodrigues to bat at No. 5, Harmanpreet Kaur should bat at No. 3 for India in the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup. She also nominated Richa Ghosh's name for the No. 4 position.
India have persisted with Jemimah at No. 5 in recent T20Is. They have tried Dayalan Hemalatha, Sajeevan Sajana, and Uma Chetry, who is a part of the traveling reserves, at No. 3. They have an additional option of Yastika Bhatia as the No. 3 batter, although her availability is subject to fitness clearance.
During an interaction on the Star Sports show 'Follow the Blues,' Krishnamurthy was asked to pick her preferred No. 3 batter for the Women in Blue.
"They have been very persistent with a few players at No. 3. Technically, all of them talk about Jemi playing at No. 3 because that is where she has played a lot of innings as well, but she is a lot more comfortable at No. 5, and she is giving that finishing touch," Veda Krishnamurthy said.
"So there are a couple of options for No. 3 but I feel if you are looking at Jemimah as a No. 5, I think Harman should walk in at No. 3 and Richa at No. 4. That will kind of give that solidity, and Harman likes to take some time and play. I think she will be perfect for that role," she added.
Harmanpreet has batted at No. 4 in 107 of her 153 T20I innings. She has played at No. 3 on only 18 occasions, aggregating 298 runs at an average of 21.28.
"The New Zealand and Sri Lanka games will be very crucial as well" - Veda Krishnamurthy
In the same interaction, Veda Krishnamurthy was asked about her thoughts on India's group in the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup. The other teams in Group A are Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand.
"Obviously, the strongest team in that group I feel is Australia, which can be a bigger threat. But looking at how the format is, two teams will qualify for the semi-finals. So the New Zealand and Sri Lanka games will be very crucial as well," Krishnamurthy said.
The cricketer-turned-commentator reckons India have the edge over New Zealand and Sri Lanka but expects a close contest against Australia.
"With the way Sri Lanka has played in the Asia Cup, I think they will come in with a lot of confidence. If you look at New Zealand, they have not had great World Cups in the last few years. So I feel India has an upper hand when it comes to New Zealand and Sri Lanka. With Australia, it's going to be a head-on and a pretty exciting game," Krishnamurthy added.
India will face New Zealand in their Women's T20 World Cup opener in Dubai on October 4. They will subsequently square off against Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the same venue on October 6 and October 9, respectively, before finishing their group phase engagements against Australia in Sharjah on October 13.