India pacer Shikha Pandey believes that India should resist the temptation to make further changes to their playing XI and instead trust the side that defeated Bangladesh when they face Australia in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup on Sunday at the iconic Lord’s.
Speaking ahead of the crucial Group A clash, Shikha also assessed the key individual battles likely to shape the contest, identifying how Shafali Verma can counter Australia’s new-ball attack and naming the bowler she believes is best equipped to contain Ellyse Perry.
Shikha urged the Indian team management to show faith in the current combination rather than continue rotating the pace attack.
“I’m not going to make any more changes to the playing XI. We need to back our players a little more. The very fact that, from game one to game four, we’ve never played the same combination of two pacers in consecutive games tells you that we have chopped and changed too much. I would want to give them that freedom and let them feel settled. We got a good win against Bangladesh, so just go into the game against Australia with the same positive attitude,” Shikha told JioStar.
The former fast bowler also weighed in on the challenge of stopping Australia’s in-form all-rounder Ellyse Perry, praising the veteran’s continued evolution while explaining the type of bowling that could trouble her.
“It’s not just her batting. The two times she has come on to bowl for Australia, she has taken wickets on both occasions. Some of the shots she played against Pakistan were amazing. She handled the short-pitched deliveries from Diana Baig very well; she was clinical. Another shot that she’s added to her repertoire is the scoop. For a player who has played international cricket for so many years, to go back, work on new shots, and reinvent herself is just amazing to watch,” she added.
Shikha then pointed to the qualities India should rely on against Perry before naming her preferred matchup.
“Someone who can seam and swing the ball late is the kind of bowler you would want against Ellyse Perry. Arundhati Reddy did that for India in the series earlier this year. But given the form she’s been in, she might not even play this game. The best person to tackle Perry would be Shree Charani, given the way she has been bowling,” Shikha stated.
Looking ahead to India’s batting, Shikha highlighted the contest between opener Shafali Verma and Australia’s new-ball bowlers, warning that the visitors have multiple options capable of testing the aggressive right-hander.
“Kim Garth is a very skilful bowler. Kim Garth and Sophie Molineux have been opening the bowling for Australia mostly. They’ve also made a change, bringing in the young left-arm medium pacer, Lucy Hamilton. So, if Hamilton plays, she’ll probably try the short-pitched delivery at Shafali, which has been her undoing in a few games,” the pacer noted.
However, Shikha believes Shafali’s recent form offers India plenty of encouragement and suggested a straightforward approach against Australia’s left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux.
“But the kind of shots Shafali has played in all the games so far have been very clean. And against Sophie Molineux, if she just tries to hit her straight, there’s nothing like it. We have seen her tackle the left-arm spinners in the matches against Pakistan and Bangladesh. So, just try to play in the ‘V’, and everything is sorted,” she mentioned.
With a place in the knockout stage at stake, India will hope the tactical battles unfold in their favour as they prepare for one of their toughest assignments of the tournament against six-time champions Australia.
