In a season where your overseas pro-Natalie Sciver-Brunt is plundering runs like there’s no tomorrow (347 runs and the current orange cap holder), some other elements of batting stability can fly under the radar. For Mumbai Indians (MI) this season, that has been Harmanpreet Kaur.
Her authoritative 54 against Gujarat Giants at the Brabourne Stadium here on Monday set the tone for a competitive 179-run total for the Mumbai Indians.
“We are finding her much better this season,” MI batting coach Devieka Palshikaar said after her side prevailed in a nail-biting encounter against Gujarat Giants by nine runs.
Confidence game
“If you remember last year’s eliminator (against RCB) which we lost by five runs, it was a very close game. We (Devieka and Harmanpreet) had a very long chat then and before starting this season that one among Nat and Harman should be there throughout the inning”
Devieka underlined that Harman has picked out a relatively slow starting strike rate as an area to work on.
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“She practices a lot against spin also and against pace. It’s focused practice, she knows she needs to hold out till the end and is finding ways to do that and that’s making a big difference in her patterns,” she added.
Harman’s form in the middle order and her pairing with Sciver-Brunt becomes all the more important when MI hasn’t quite nailed its perfect opening combination this season. With Yastika Bhatia registering poor scores up top, Amelia Kerr has been pushed up to open alongside Hayley Matthews.
A more like-for-like replacement for Yastika would have been U-19 World Cup-winning keeper-batter G. Kamalini but Devieka is clear that the youngster still has some fine-tuning left to go.
“When it comes to experience, Amelia is ready for that. So, they switch. We know Melie has stepped up similarly for her national side,” she said.
Smart overseas pool, hardworking local aisle
Devieka also praised Hayley Matthews’ all-round contributions in the last few games. Against Gujarat, she scored a brisk 22-ball 27 and took three wickets, including a nervy defence of 13 runs off the last over, to help her team past the finish line.
“Hayley wasn’t clicking in the initial few games, but these are all great players. Sometimes, the form goes missing, but she is focussing extra. Taking extra efforts, more practice sessions and it’s paying off.
Mumbai Indians’ Hayley Matthews celebrates a Gujarat Giants wicket during their WPL Match at the CCI Stadium in Mumbai on Monday.
| Photo Credit:
Emmanual Yogini/The Hindu
Mumbai Indians’ Hayley Matthews celebrates a Gujarat Giants wicket during their WPL Match at the CCI Stadium in Mumbai on Monday.
| Photo Credit:
Emmanual Yogini/The Hindu
“She’s taking slick catches at slip, which is the first I’m seeing of that. She bowls all the batters in the nets and spends extra hours batting as well. She and the group just want to do well and reach the finals we missed last year.”
Devieka was happy to see the domestic crop within the MI setup step out of its usual mould in the WPL. Contributions from Amanjot Kaur and S. Sajana have all come in handy throughout the season with their cameos.
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“Basically after number five, we see these players come in at six, seven and eight which makes them very crucial. They may not get chances in every game, but when the opportunity rises, we want them to be ready.
“Unfortunately, in most cases, they don’t play the same role for their domestic sides. Most of them open or come higher up the order. But we have prepared them for this with role clarity and assistance in executing the same.”
Top weapon
MI’s use of Shabnim Ismail also presents a valuable case study for other franchises in how to deal with their strike bowler.
Depending on conditions, Harmanpreet has saved an over or two of Ismail’s spell for later in the game, but against GG and on a high-scoring track, Ismail was exhausted within the 11th over.
Phoebe Litchfield bowled by Shabnim Ismail during the WPL Match between Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants held at CCI Stadium in Mumbai on Monday.
| Photo Credit:
Emmanual Yogini/The Hindu
Phoebe Litchfield bowled by Shabnim Ismail during the WPL Match between Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Giants held at CCI Stadium in Mumbai on Monday.
| Photo Credit:
Emmanual Yogini/The Hindu
“Today we wanted those main wickets a little early. We don’t want them to go big. Run rate also matters for us. So we wanted to finish the game early and get those main wickets. She was the right match-up for a number of them too,” Devieka said.
There’s a lesson there for Smriti Mandhana’s RCB and its use of Renuka Singh – who is most effective when the new ball moves – when the side goes up against Mumbai Indians in the final league fixture of the season at this very venue on Tuesday.
