Women's World T20 2018: Can Mithali Raj master the T20 format to lead India to glory?

Mithali Raj, the golden girl of Indian cricket, will travel to the West Indies for her sixth T20 World Cup. At 35, she is the official ‘didi’ of the team and a player that all the youngsters want to emulate. Raj might be in the twilight of her career but she is still very much the nucleus of India’s batting. In recent times her spot in the T20 setup has been questioned, but the reality is the lack of depth in the women’s game along with her experience makes her a priceless possession for team India.

Two weeks ago, Raj smashed an unbeaten hundred off 60 balls against Australia A in Mumbai, in the 2nd T20I. It was a knock that proved to the critics that she can score briskly and has the game to be mighty effective in the shortest format.  It might be the knock that carves out the script for her in the forthcoming world cup.

It is a knock that is sure to bolster Raj’s confidence especially after having a poor run in the five-match series against Sri Lanka in September. Raj only managed 53 runs from her four T20I innings and struggled as she tried a more aggressive approach. But such is her class that her position was never in doubt. After all, she is still one of the finest batswomen going around in world cricket.

Ever since Raj made her debut over nearly two decades ago, she has been a master technician and has had to enhance her game to be more proactive in the T20 format.  Interestingly, the century against Australia A came as an opener, a position that Raj has managed to lock down in recent times. With all the emphasis on the scoring-rate in the power-play, there will be pressure on Raj to up the tempo at the start.  Generally, Raj tends to be a cautious starter and prefers to keep the ball along the ground, but such is the nature of the T20 game that there is a demand to be more expansive. Raj’s combination with Smriti Mandhana at the top of the order is crucial for India’s chances at the World Cup.

While power hitting is not Raj’s style, it is her ability to constantly rotate strike and pierce the field with the precision that will be crucial during the middle overs at the World T20.  Spinners are expected to do plenty of bowling and Raj’s exceptional footwork will be the key in ensuring India’s scoring rate doesn’t stagnate after the power-play. She will be playing the role of the anchor while others will be expected to contribute around her.

In the past, there has been criticism about Raj’s ability to up the rhythm. In the tri-series against Australia and England in March, her batting seemed to be full of doubts rather than assurance. She managed to score a fifty, but it was the lack of impetus at the start of the innings that left a few people scratching their heads.

The challenge for Raj is to ensure she can change gears throughout the innings. There will be times she needs to be more explosive at the start and towards the back end.  There needs to more innovation and direction. At the end of the day, she has been around for over a decade and knows her game inside out.

But the modern game demands more from opening batswomen and how Raj adapts to the various game situations will have a huge impact on her longevity in the T20 format. There is a strong chance this T20 campaign will be her last and she will be desperate to help India progress deep into the tournament.

Apart from an unbeaten 97 against Malaysia back in June, the runs haven’t been flowing off Raj’s bat. She has failed to cross 25 in last eight innings in the T20 format. Perhaps a lot of the failures have been a result of her trying to be more expansive during the power-play or the fact that there is pressure to play a more risky brand of cricket.  One aspect that is working for Raj is that she has the experience of playing in the West Indies. Add to that she will know her role perfectly and can prepare for her innings in a diligent manner.

In the past 12 months, Raj has managed to increase the strike-rate to 106.36 from her overall career rate of 96.23. Undoubtedly, her boundary hitting has improved vastly and with the current coach asking his players to be fearless, perhaps there is a consideration for Raj to take another stride towards power hitting.

India needs Raj to be at her best if they are to compete with the elite teams such as Australia and New Zealand.  If the golden girl of Indian cricket can wield her magic with the willow expect the younger brigade such as Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues to rally around her.  It is a stern test at the backend of Raj’s career, but with massive experience, one can expect her to be one of leading run scorers in the tournament.