With newbies, India aim to spin a success story
Packing a spin punch was India’s biggest takeaway from the T20I series against Bangladesh which they won 2-1; the hosts winning Thursday’s game by four wickets at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
Indian players celebrates a wicket against Bangladesh.(BCCI Women Twitter)
The series turned India’s way with off-spinner Shafali Verma’s last over in the second game. Needing 10 runs to win, Bangladesh lost four wickets and scored one run. Slow bowlers were used for 19 overs in Bangladesh’s innings with both newbie off-spinner Minnu Mani from Kerala and part-time off-spinner Jemimah Rodrigues completing their full quotas. Off-spinner Deepti Sharma took 3/12 as Bangladesh, chasing 96 to win, collapsed to 87 all out. “Our aim was to restrict them to 60,” said Verma.
On Thursday, left-arm spinner Rashi Kanojia made her T20I debut and leg-spinner Devika Vaidya replaced Harleen Deol. Kanojia went without a wicket but Vaidya and Mani bagged two each.
For long their strong suit, India are going through a transition with slow bowlers. Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Radha Yadav, mainstays in spin attack since the 2017 ODI World Cup, are no more automatic choices so new players are getting a chance. That explains why the selection committee headed by Neetu David chose Mani, left-arm spinner Bareddy Anusha and Kanojia for the T20I and three-game ODI series against Bangladesh.
“These days, young spinners are well versed with the techniques and also very confident. T20 cricket has also changed the way the spinners think and bowl. I saw as many as eight-nine spinners in the U-19 high performance camp at NCA who were top notch when it comes to skill and fitness. Out of them, five or six could also bat well,” said Shravanathi Naidu. The former India left-arm spinner was the spin coach at one of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) camps in Bengaluru.
Nooshin Al Khadeer, India’s interim head coach in Bangladesh, is a former India off-spinner having over 100 international wickets. “Spinners in the team can benefit from her presence. Spin will be crucial in the upcoming Asian Games (September 23-October 8) due to the conditions. So, having these new young girls in the team is a plus,” said NCA coach Khyati Gulani.
Bangladesh will host the T20 World Cup in 2024 where spin could play a big role. “Keeping in mind the Asian and global events, Indian team management can work more on the spinners. The WPL also saw such good spinners like Shreyanka Patil and Saika Ishaque,” said Gulani.
