Team India is out of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, and that has left many questions unanswered for the side. In the IND vs AUS match on Sunday, there were a few questionable decisions too; Jemimah Rodrigues was retired out in the 20th over, Yastika Bhatia was included once again, adding no real value to the team.. and all these in turn make one wonder, should Harmanpreet Kaur remain the Indian skipper, at least in the T20 format.
Yastika Bhatia at 3 raises questions
Former India captain Anjum Chopra weighed on all these issues and offered her opinion. Speaking on JioStar’s ‘Match Centre Live’, Chopra said, “Firstly, the runs on the board were not enough. 170 is a good total, but against Australia, in basically a World Cup knockout, it was slightly below par. Then you have to back it up with early wickets. Against a team like Australia, one or two wickets won’t cut it.
“To choke a team like Australia, you have to score those extra runs so that your bowlers have some cushion. Also, I felt Richa Ghosh should have been sent in by the 17th over. You didn’t get the finishing kick by sending Richa in one over too late. And the fifth bowler, as usual, continued to be an issue for the Indian team.”
Yastika Bhatia has been a sore point for the team, ever since her come back into the side. In 4 matches she could only score 41 runs at an average of 13. With that showing, she kept coming ahead of Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur. “If Yastika Bhatia was your No. 3 batter, then why didn’t she bat at that position in this game? If Jemimah Rodrigues was playing at No. 3 in the England series, then why didn’t she do that in the World Cup? I personally believe Harmanpreet should bat at No. 3 and, at No. 4, you should have a batter who can make a positive impact on the game, and that is Richa Ghosh,” Chopra continued.
Harmanpreet Kaur still best skipper for India
“Apart from the Bangladesh game, Richa didn’t bat at No. 4 throughout the tournament. Bowling is not their greatest strength, everyone knows that, even the opposition knows it. So, if batting is India’s strength, then let it create the impact you need and hope that the bowling does the rest. Australia is a well-oiled unit, against them, scoring at seven an over won’t win you games, you’ll have to go at 9s.”
After this poor showing, the calls for Harman’s ouster as a captain might only grow, but for Anjum, she is still the best person to lead. “I still think she is the best captain to lead India. I don’t think any other player is ready for captaincy at this point. If we start talking about areas to work on, from captaincy to batting to bowling, it will be a long list of homework. The most important focus area should be the approach needed for the T20 format. “
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