"She said she doesn't have the power to hit sixes at No. 5 or No. 6" - Reema Malhotra lauds Jemimah Rodrigues' knock and wants her to bat at No. 3
Reema Malhotra has lauded Jemimah Rodrigues for playing an enterprising knock in the first T20I between India and South Africa. However, the former India all-rounder feels the diminutive right-hander should bat at No. 3 for the Women in Blue in the shortest format.
South Africa set India a 190-run target after being asked to bat first in Chennai on Friday, July 5. Rodrigues smashed an unbeaten 53 off 30 deliveries during the hosts' chase but couldn't save them from a 12-run defeat.
Reviewing the game on Sports 18, Malhotra opined that Jemimah Rodrigues has all the prerequisites for the No. 3 position, considering that she herself admitted that she doesn't have the power game to play in the lower-middle order.
"A player who has technique, temperament and timing, if you have all three, you are made for No. 3. She uses the crease well. She has added that to her batting this year from domestic cricket. When I spoke to her when she had scored a century, she said she doesn't have the power to hit sixes at No. 5 or No. 6, and will thus use the crease," she elaborated.
While praising the stylish batter for scoring quickly in Friday's game, the cricketer-turned-commentator noted that Dayalan Hemalatha might be better suited to bat down the order.
"Hema might have that power. However, Jemi showed today that you can bat at a good strike rate based on timing. That's probably one change I would like to see because you don't need forties and fifties but seventies and eighties if you have a player like that," Malhotra observed.
Hemalatha scored 14 runs off 17 deliveries while batting at No. 3. Her slightly slow knock, coupled with her dismissal off the next ball after Smriti Mandhana's departure, potentially put India behind the eight ball in the run chase.
"The intent is most important" - Veda Krishnamurthy on Jemimah Rodrigues' 'impressive innings'
![Jemimah Rodrigues struck seven fours and a six during her innings. [P/C: BCCI]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/07/85ba3-17202435748047-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same discussion, Veda Krishnamurthy appreciated Jemimah Rodrigues for her attacking intent.
"Impressive innings. The intent is most important, especially when you are going at No. 5. The position is such that you have to find boundaries as soon as you go in and rotate singles. Rotating singles is her strength. An additional fielder is inside the circle in women's cricket," she said.
The Karnataka batter was particularly appreciative of Rodrigues' immaculate footwork to find gaps in the field.
"When four fielders are on the boundary line, either cover or square leg is inside. It's very important to identify that. So the footwork is according to that. You clear your feet to play on the off side or go inside and create the angle on the leg side, that's very important. That fluency was seen in her innings. That was the top-notch thing in this innings," Krishnamurthy explained.
Rodrigues joined Harmanpreet Kaur (35 off 29) in the middle when India needed 103 runs off 59 balls with seven wickets in hand. The duo added 90 runs for the fourth wicket but couldn't take their team over the line.