"They have still not been able to decide their playing XI" - Reema Malhotra questions Gujarat Giants' tactics in WPL 2023 loss to Mumbai Indians

Reema Malhotra has questioned the Gujarat Giants' (GG) tactics and team selections in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023 thus far.

The Giants received a 55-run drubbing at the hands of the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, March 14. Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. posted 162/8 after being asked to bat first and restricted the Mithali Raj-mentored side to 107/9 to become the first team to qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament.

During a discussion on Sports 18, Malhotra was asked about her thoughts on the road ahead for the Gujarat Giants, to which she responded:

"Seeing their decisions, I feel how and why. This was their fifth match and they have still not been able to decide their playing XI until now. The player who won you the match, you make her sit out in the next match."

Gujarat Giants removing Sophia Dunkley to accommodate Wolvaardt is one the silliest decisions Ive seen made. She made a 50 of 18 balls and you've removed her for the next game to play somebody whose flown in barely 48 hours ago. This collapse serves them right. #GujaratGiants

The former Indian all-rounder criticized the Giants for dropping Laura Wolvaardt after just one game and for not playing Parunika Sisodia thus far, elaborating:

"You played Laura Wolvaardt as soon as she came and then you made her sit out today. Self-confidence goes down like that. You know the surface will keep getting slower and it is going to be a spin-to-win mantra, but you haven't given a chance to Parunika Sisodia, who was the highest wicket-taker in domestic cricket."

Wolvaardt was surprisingly drafted into the playing XI in Gujarat Giants' last game against the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the expense of Sophia Dunkley, who scored a match-defining 65 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

Dunkley was recalled to the team for Tuesday's game after Wolvaardt's failure against DC, but the England opener was dismissed for a golden duck.

"You played Mansi Joshi and didn't get her to bowl" - Reema Malhotra on Gujarat Giants' inexplicable decisions

Mansi Joshi batted at No. 11 and did not bowl a single over. [P/C: WPL/Twitter]

Reema Malhotra highlighted the Gujarat Giants' flawed team selection and usage of their resources, explaining:

"You played Mansi Joshi and didn't get her to bowl. You are playing Sutherland, who has not found her rhythm till now. Making Wareham sit out on this wicket - there are a lot of such decisions which I didn't understand and they were probably the difference between a win and a loss."

If Gujarat Giants are not going to bowl Mansi Joshi, why not play Ashwani Kumari

Also, this Sutherland at the death experiment has to stop

It has cost them at least a game

#WPL2023

The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that the Gujarat Giants can learn a lot from the Mumbai Indians, saying:

"You can learn from the opposition - Mumbai Indians. They have made only one change in five matches. That too was a forced change. Dhara Gujjar came in for the injured Pooja Vastrakar."

Malhotra added that MI stuck with Amanjot Kaur and Humaira Kazi, even though the duo did not get to bat before Tuesday's game. She concluded by stating that the Gujarat Giants have to back their players and come up with the right game plan if they want favorable results.