Former England skipper Nasser Hussain says run-starved India captain Kaur needs to deliver in crucial matches
Harmanpreet Kaur after being dismissed for 22 against Australia in Vizag last Sunday
Former England captain Nasser Hussain on Friday said Harmanpreet Kaur boasts a fantastic World Cup record and it’s time the Indian women’s team skipper delivers like her Australian counterpart Alyssa Healy. Kaur has endured a poor run in the Women’s ODI World Cup so far, scoring 71 runs in four games, with her deputy Smriti Mandhana (134 runs) and Pratika Rawal (180) doing the bulk of the scoring at the top.
But with India in a spot of bother after losing two close matches, against South Africa and Australia, the hosts are currently in fourth spot on the points table, and a slip from hereon could dash their World Cup hopes at home. India will next face England at Indore on Sunday, a match where Hussain expects the Kaur-led middle-order to fire and provide support to Mandhana and Rawal.
Nasser Hussain
“Like I said, Harmanpreet has a fantastic World Cup record. The bigger the game, just like Alyssa Healy, in the last couple of games before the match against India, the stats had come off a little bit, but in the two big games, she suddenly delivers. I expect the same from the Indian captain, really,” Hussain said during JioHotstar Press Room ahead of the India-England match.
Hussain, however, begs to differ that India have been overdependent on their openers — Mandhana and Rawal — in the tournament. “I think Harleen [Deol] has been okay; she has been consistent. I saw a tweet the other day comparing strike rates. I would just say, be careful when comparing strike rates. When you are batting in the Powerplay and opening, your strike rate would be higher compared to middle-order batters,” the Englishman said.
It’s tough to keep Smriti quiet: Knight
England batter Heather Knight acknowledged the threat posed by India’s Smriti Mandhana ahead of their crucial clash. “She hasn’t changed much from when I first played against her. She’s also incredibly hard to keep quiet with the bat, which will be a big challenge for us,” Knight said.
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