"We had already decided back in India" - Amol Muzumdar confirms Harmanpreet Kaur to bat at No.3 during Women's T20 World Cup 2024
India women's team head coach Amol Muzumdar settled the long-time debate surrounding the No. 3 position by confirming skipper Harmanpreet Kaur for the role. In the months leading up to the tournament, the Women in Blue have not had a bonafide candidate assigned to the position, with several batters being tested on a trial-and-error basis.
Harmanpreet has played T20I cricket from all possible batting positions ranging from opening to the lower order. However, the bulk of her career, infact over 100 appearances has come while batting at No. 4. The skipper had made the position her own, and even batted in the same role for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Women's Premier League (WPL).
Harmanpreet has played 18 times at No. 3 in T20Is, recording 298 runs at an average of 21.28. She last played at No. 3 during the previous edition of the Women's T20 World Cup, scoring 13 runs off 20 deliveries in the win over Ireland at Gqeberha.
"Absolutely, not just the warm-up games, but we had already decided back in India and in the camps that happened before we set off from Mumbai. We had a lovely camp in Bangalore, and we decided there. Basically, these pre-World Cup matches absolutely stamped that for us. Go through the scorecard, you’ll find out,” Amol Muzumdar said during the pre-match press conference.
Harmanpreet scored 10 and 1 while batting at No. 3 in Team India's recent warm-up wins against South Africa and the West Indies, respectively.
Dayalan Hemalatha primarily donned the position, particularly during the home series against South Africa and the first half of the Asia Cup. While the squad was being rotated the likes of Uma Chetry and Sajeevan Sajana also availed an opportunity up the order.
Jemimah Rodrigues has also had a run with the No. 3 position, but she looks well settled in the No. 5 role, having worked on her power-hitting.
"We have had multiple discussions within our top six, at least three to four have to bowl" - Amol Muzumdar
With two frontline pacers and three spinners, India have a set bowling combination, with some being all-rounders to provide the batting depth. However, the sixth bowling option remains a potent issue.
The opening day of the Women's T20 World Cup witnessed all of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Scotland use at least six bowling options.
“We’ve paid a lot of attention to the sixth bowling option. Also, for a fact that we have had multiple discussions within our top six, at least three to four have to bowl. If we can get those overs out of them, then nothing like it," Muzumdar said in the same presser.
"All of them could bowl. So, it’s just a question of applying and just putting in those hard yards in the nets and then converting that into a match performance. So, Harman hasn’t bowled, but she bowled in the second T20 warm-ups and is experienced enough to bowl those overs,” Muzumdar concluded.
India's top order certainly is not alien to bowling if needed. Smriti Mandhana has bowled in WODIs before, while Shafali Varma has 10 wickets in WT20Is. Harmanpreet Kaur has 75 international wickets in her career across formats and even dismissed Nadine de Klerk in the warm-up match.
Team India are set to open their Women's T20 World Cup 2024 campaign with a group-stage clash against New Zealand in Dubai on Friday, October 4.