Women's World T20 2018 a chance for Mansi Joshi to showcase that she can become Jhulan Goswami's successor

The first thing that one immediately realises looking at India’s World T20 squad is the absence of Jhulan Goswami.  The veteran fast bowler and India’s leading wicket-taker called it quits in T20Is earlier this year and left an enormous hole.  It is void that is difficult to fill, but as one scans through the rest of the names, Mansi Joshi is one member that seems capable of filling the large shoes. [caption id=“attachment_5164591” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File picture of Mansi Joshi. Image credit: Twitter/@ICC[/caption] Mansi Joshi has pace, a clinical side-on action, and a nice high release.  Technically, she is perfect. Add to that, she has the experience of a big tournament under her belt having played at the 50-over world cup last year. Joshi was unlucky not to find a place in the final XI in the later stages of world cup last year but this edition of the World T20 presents her a wonderful opportunity to cement a place in the side. The T20 game is about short burst or a spell and Joshi has the capabilities of having an impact with the new ball or at the death. Her action allows her to swing the ball away from right-handers. With the modern day players going hard at the ball during the power-play stages, slight movement is enough to expose some of the best players in the world. Joshi’s late movement and her fuller length can lead to success, as long as she can generate that swing. Most of the top teams flood their best players at the top of the order and if Joshi is picked in the final XI, her spell with the new ball could set the tone. Joshi is still inexperienced in the T20 arena but there is no doubt that she is unique in terms of her skills set and is also a brilliant fielder.  She is also returning from a serious knee injury and had to fight her inner doubts to be fit for the Sri Lanka series in September. In an interview with Cricbuzz Mansi Joshi stated that it was her dream to play in the T20 World Cup. She also talked about the challenges of overcoming the knee injury and how new coach Ramesh Powar inspired her with some encouraging words. It is a positive sign for Joshi that she has the backing of the coach. But on the field her performances need to back her commitment.  “It doesn’t seem like this girl hasn’t bowled in eight months” is what Powar had said about Joshi in an inter-squad game in August. In her first comeback match since the knee injury, she picked up 3/16 in the first ODI against Sri Lanka which earned her the Man of the Match award. However, in her first T20 match, she had a disappointing outing conceding 24 runs from two overs without picking up a wicket. More importantly, she was in and around the squad. The fact that despite her treacherous run with injuries, she has found a place in the World T20 squad speaks volumes of her ability. One would have favoured Shikha Pandey to be a certainty for the West Indies, but the fact that Joshi has displaced her gives an indication that she has a genuine chance of featuring in the starting eleven. World T20 would be a fresh start for Joshi and having overcome doubts along with injury, she would be raring to impress. Apart from her ability to swing the new ball, it is also her ability to bowl yorkers at the death that could be pivotal. During the World Cup last year, she was exceptional at lowering her arm slightly and hitting the full-lengths with the old ball.  While it is unlikely she will generate any reverse swing, if she can get her yorkers to spot on, she is bound to provide a good death bowling option for India. The lack of match practice is bound to work against Joshi, but there are warm-up matches before India’s first game on 9 November and it will be a tight tussle between Joshi, Vastrakar and Arundhati Reddy. The slow pitches in Guyana could lead to India playing a solitary fast bowler, but there will be a case of playing two fast bowlers. Either way, Joshi has done incredibly well to be part of the squad. The format of the tournament means India simply cannot afford any slip-ups and it could be just one wicket or one brilliant over that can change the team’s fortunes. The World T20 is a golden opportunity for Joshi to grab the opportunity and showcase that she can fill the void left by Goswami’s departure.