{"id":182879,"date":"2026-06-19T21:11:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T02:41:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=182879"},"modified":"2026-06-19T21:11:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T02:41:50","slug":"lack-of-powerplay-wickets-is-a-concern-mithali-raj-on-india-womens-t20-world-cup-2026-chances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=182879","title":{"rendered":"Lack of PowerPlay wickets is a concern: Mithali Raj on India Women\u2019s T20 World Cup 2026 chances"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

Ahead of India\u2019s group stage matches against South Africa and Australia at the Women\u2019s T20 World Cup, former India captain Mithali Raj believes Powerplay bowling has been the team\u2019s biggest letdown.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During an interaction with media arranged by JioStar<\/i> on Friday, Mithali said India\u2019s odds of winning the elusive title will rest on whether it can improve its effectiveness with the new ball.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lack of wickets in the first six is a pattern we have observed with the team in recent matches and it was evident in the first game against Pakistan as well, when the openers were allowed to break free.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, India is missing the services of Kashvee Gautam and Amanjot Kaur, but with the resources that we have, we should certainly be doing a better job. Taking early wickets becomes even more important especially against an opposition like South Africa because we all know what Laura Wolvaardt is capable of once she settles in,\u201d Mithali said.<\/p>\n

India got its T20 World Cup campaign off to a formidable start, registering a 64-run win over Pakistan and following it up with a 95-run win over Netherlands in its second game.<\/p>\n

However, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side faces its first real challenge against South Africa on June 21 and against Australia on June 28, perhaps its toughest opponent in the tournament.<\/p>\n

ALSO READ | Restructure pace combination urgently, says former India coach W.V. Raman<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Skill-wise, Mithali believes the three teams are evenly matched but acknowledged that both South Africa and Australia have players who are more than capable of causing irreparable damage.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor South Africa, the pace bowling duo of Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail will be a real threat, both bowlers know the Indian batters very well. Talking about Australia, Georgia Voll and Phoebe Litchfield, if she is fit, are two players who are aggressive and can take the game away from India,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Mithali also heaped praise on the batting unit, especially Smriti Mandhana\u2019s performances, while also highlighting the absence of similar kind of role clarity in the bowling department.<\/p>\n

\u201cSmriti\u2019s batting has been really impressive, especially her game awareness. Richa Ghosh has been impactful as the finisher like we saw in the games against Pakistan and Netherlands. Jemimah Rodrigues and Shefali Verma are the anchors, so everybody has been given a clearly defined role.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Mithali<\/p>\n
Mithali also spoke about Shreyanka Patil\u2019s injury, and backed Radha Yadav to take her place in the team.\u00a0
\n | Photo Credit:
\n Getty Images\n <\/p>\n

\"lightbox-info\"\/<\/figcaption><\/div>\n

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Mithali also spoke about Shreyanka Patil\u2019s injury, and backed Radha Yadav to take her place in the team.\u00a0
\n | Photo Credit:
\n Getty Images\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cBut when it comes to bowling, I have a lot of doubts. Who are our strike bowlers?\u00a0 We have Nandni Sharma, Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy as the pacers but how do you rotate them? Deepti Sharma, N. Shree Charani and the other spinners have taken wickets but who is the designated operator in PowerPlay and middle-overs? These are questions that the team management will need to think about with clarity moving forward,\u201d Mithali said.<\/p>\n

Mithali also spoke about Shreyanka Patil\u2019s injury, and backed Radha Yadav to take her place in the team.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIts tough for any player to miss a World Cup, let alone somebody who has struggled with injuries all throughout her career. India\u2019s strength has always been its spinners and I\u2019m sure Radha Yadav will do a fine job and the team combination will not be disturbed,\u201d Mithali said.<\/p>\n

So what has been the biggest takeaway about India\u2019s campaign for Mithali so far? The temperament of the players, she reveals.<\/p>\n

\u201cEver since the World Cup win, you can feel the players are playing with more confidence and more trust in their abilities. The WPL also deserves a lot of credit for helping the young players adapt to pressure situations and big match moments. Ultimately, the winner will be the team that can execute its plans and handle the pressure the best,\u201d Mithali signed off.<\/p>\n

Published on Jun 20, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Ahead of India\u2019s group stage matches against South Africa and Australia at the Women\u2019s T20 World Cup, former India captain Mithali Raj believes Powerplay bowling has been the team\u2019s biggest…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":182880,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-182879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2281884702.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":180570,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=180570","url_meta":{"origin":182879,"position":0},"title":"Harmanpreet Kaur breaks Mithali Raj\u2019s record for most runs by an Indian in Women\u2019s T20 World Cups","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Harmanpreet Kaur broke Mithali Raj\u2019s record for the most runs by an Indian in Women\u2019s T20 World Cups during India\u2019s match against Pakistan at Edgbaston on June 14. 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