Why Mithali Raj's semi-final snub in Women's World T20 2018 wasn't in India's best interest
Mithali Raj was left out of the Indian XI for the semi-final against England in the Women's World T20, but was it really a decision that was justified?
- Sri Lanka in South Africa, 2 Test Series, 2019 SA Vs SL Live Now
- ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Region Qualifier, 2019 CHNW Vs KWTW China Women beat Kuwait Women by 9 wickets
- ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Region Qualifier, 2019 THAW Vs NEPW Thailand Women beat Nepal Women by 57 runs
- ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Region Qualifier, 2019 MALW Vs UAEW United Arab Emirates Women beat Malaysia Women by 86 runs
- Afghanistan and Ireland in India, 3 T20I Series, 2019 AFG Vs IRE Afghanistan beat Ireland by 5 wickets
- England in West Indies, 5 ODI Series, 2019 WI Vs ENG England beat West Indies by 6 wickets
- Bangladesh in New Zealand, 3 ODI Series, 2019 NZ Vs BAN New Zealand beat Bangladesh by 88 runs
- Quadrangular Series in Oman, 2019 OMA Vs SCO Scotland beat Oman by 7 wickets
- England in West Indies, 5 ODI Series, 2019 WI vs ENG - Feb 22nd, 2019, 08:30 PM IST
- Afghanistan and Ireland in India, 3 T20I Series, 2019 AFG vs IRE - Feb 23rd, 2019, 06:30 PM IST
- Afghanistan and Ireland in India, 3 T20I Series, 2019 AFG vs IRE - Feb 24th, 2019, 06:30 PM IST
- New Zealand Women in Australia, 3 ODI Series, 2019 AUSW vs NZW - Feb 22nd, 2019, 07:50 AM IST
- ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Region Qualifier, 2019 NEPW vs UAEW - Feb 22nd, 2019, 08:30 AM IST
- ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Region Qualifier, 2019 THAW vs HKW - Feb 22nd, 2019, 08:30 AM IST
Top Stories
-
Pakistan must stop making provocative statements against India; misinterpretation of signals could escalate situation
-
Strength of India-Saudi ties will depend on mutual interests, not homilies on terror, ‘hugplomacy’ or admonition of Pakistan
-
Bihar politicos battle it out over bungalows as cost incurred on Tejashwi Yadav's former residence draws outrage
-
ISSF Shooting World Cup 2019: Event may lose Olympic quotas after Pakistani athletes denied visas in wake of Pulwama attack
-
Bangladesh fire: At least 70 killed, several injured as massive blaze rages through chemical factory in Dhaka
-
Alia Bhatt's Safeena from Gully Boy is the Angry Young Woman Bollywood desperately needs
-
India’s reliance on coal makes its precarious financial underpinnings both curious and troubling
-
Unemployment crisis in India: Why BJP's 2014 election manifesto promising jobs has remained only a political document
-
Inhabiting Urdu with Jaun Elia and Khwaab Tanha
-
पुलवामा की ‘केमिस्ट्री’ से सुधरेगा बीजेपी का ‘अंकगणित’?
-
Lok Sabha Election 2019: SP-BSP ने तय किया, कौन-किस सीट से लड़ेगा चुनाव
-
पुलवामा हमले के बाद भारत की सख्ती, अपने हिस्से का पानी पाकिस्तान जाने से रोकेगा
-
3 साल बाद EPFO ने बढ़ाई PF पर ब्याज दर, 6 करोड़ पीएफ धारकों को होगा फायदा
-
दिल्ली में अक्षरधाम मंदिर के पास लुटेरों ने पुलिस पर की फायरिंग
Rank | Team | Points | Rating |
---|---|---|---|
1 | India | 5007 | 116 |
2 | South Africa | 4280 | 110 |
3 | New Zealand | 3213 | 107 |
4 | Australia | 4566 | 104 |
5 | England | 5490 | 104 |
6 | Sri Lanka | 4256 | 89 |
Rank | Team | Points | Rating |
---|---|---|---|
1 | England | 6918 | 126 |
2 | India | 8058 | 122 |
3 | New Zealand | 5798 | 112 |
4 | South Africa | 5545 | 111 |
5 | Pakistan | 4872 | 102 |
6 | Australia | 4290 | 100 |
Rank | Team | Points | Rating |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Pakistan | 5280 | 135 |
2 | India | 5590 | 124 |
3 | South Africa | 2960 | 118 |
4 | England | 2586 | 118 |
5 | Australia | 3266 | 117 |
6 | New Zealand | 3367 | 116 |
More Stories
- 1Why Mithali Raj's semi-final snub in Women's World T20 2018 wasn't in India's best interest
- 2West Indies vs England: Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler rested for T20I series; Sam Billings and Dawid Malan included in 14-man squad
- 3Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Shreyas Iyer smashes highest T20 score by an Indian batsman; Cheteshwar Pujara hits 61-ball 100
- 4India U-19 vs South Africa U-19: Diyansh Saxena's ton puts hosts in commanding position on Day 2 of Youth Test
- 5South Africa vs Sri Lanka: Proteas bowlers strike late to end Day 1 on a high after being bowled out for 222 in first innings
Editor's Note: Less than a week after Indian women's ODI captain Mithali Raj was dropped from the Indian XI that played the Women's World T20 semi-final against England, she questioned her exclusion, also accusing coach Ramesh Powar and CoA member Diana Edulji of bias. As the debate rages on whether Mithali Raj should have been dropped or not, Firstpost analyses why team management was not right to take that call on selection. To read the opposing viewpoint, click here.
It's been a couple of days since the Women's World T20 came to an end, with India having dished out a series of clinical performances in each of the league matches before getting outplayed by England in the semi-final.
However, the controversy surrounding the decision to drop star batter and the ODI captain Mithali Raj from the playing XI in the semi-final continues to make headlines, and received a fresh twist on Tuesday with Raj slamming coach Ramesh Powar and CoA member Diana Edulji for discrimination and bias.
File image of former India captain Mithali Raj. Twitter @ICC
Raj injured her knee while fielding during the game against Ireland, and was forced to walk off the field as a result. While the injury kept her out of the subsequent Group B fixture against Australia as well, she had recovered from the niggle in time for the semis.
Harmanpreet however, raised several eyebrows at the toss on Thursday when she announced an unchanged side for the semi-final, leaving the veteran of 197 ODIs and 85 T20Is out of the equation. While captains and coaches have various reasons for dropping a certain player given the conditions, the opposition makeup as well as the player's current form, and sometimes such decisions can be viewed as a bold gamble that could go on to have a positive impact on the team's performances.
Raj, however, had been going through a purple patch with the bat, having hit back-to-back half-centuries against Pakistan and Ireland respectively. And the decision to leave out an in-form player in a match as crucial as the semi-final usually defies cricketing logic.
Harmanpreet justified the decision by stating that the Indians wanted to maintain the winning combination from their fixture against Australia. However, the question that should be raised at team management is that if maintaining a winning combination at cost of dropping an experienced campaigner, a right decision?
One look at Raj's numbers with the bat this year, and the statistics will paint a picture of a batter in fine touch. The Jodhpur-born cricketer is fifth in the list of run-getters in women's T20Is in 2018 with 575 runs to her credit, and might have moved past the prolific Alyssa Healy (578) and even Smriti Mandhana (622) in the 2018 rankings had the team made a better decision in the semi-final.
With seven half-centuries, two of which were collected off back-to-back innings' in the World T20, Raj's position in the batting unit, especially at the top of the order, should not have been questioned in the first place. The manner in which Raj had anchored the innings against Ireland, India needed a similar calming influence at the crease when wickets were tumbling like nine pins at Antigua.
And it's not just the bat with which she stands out — her tactical inputs, having led the team and shaped women's cricket in India for years — cannot be discounted either.
As pointed out by Raj in her letter, her fallout with Powar after landing in the Caribbean is an unfortunate episode indeed. That would have had some impact on the atmosphere inside the dressing room. Differences crop up in the best of teams, and among the best of individuals, and the Indian women's cricket team is no different in this regard.
Who can forget the ugliness of the Greg Chappell-Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli-Anil Kumble sagas that are now major blots in the annals of Indian cricket? It is when politics starts affecting selection, often at the expense of the team, that things start veering in the negative direction.
While the episode isn't expected to die down anytime soon, especially if the coach in question decides to make a statement or two, it would be in the welfare of women's cricket in India for the parties involved to move on from the issue as quickly as possible. Powar's influence on India women's cricket so far has largely been rated as positive, and Raj continues to remain an integral member of the Indian lineup.
Putting personal differences aside and keeping the team's interests above else is what makes for a positive culture, and is what women's cricket needs if they are to continue growing by leaps and bounds.
Updated Date:Nov 27, 2018 23:18:08 IST
Also See
In-form Smriti Mandhana continues to remain No 1 batswoman in ICC ODI rankings; Jhulan Goswami No 3 among bowlers
India Women vs New Zealand Women: Why Harmanpreet Kaur should trust Mithali Raj to take charge of the middle-order in T20Is
India women vs New Zealand women Live Streaming: When and where to watch 2nd T20I match on live TV online