Jhulan Goswami Speaks on Mithali Raj's Exclusion, Says She Felt Bad for the Senior Cricketer
Against Pakistan and Ireland Mithali Raj scored half-centuries and was rested for the inconsequential game against Australia..
Former Indian women’s cricket team fast bowler Jhulan Goswami has said that she ‘felt bad’ to see India leave out senior batter Mithali Raj for the ICC Women’s World T20 2018 semifinal against England. India lost the semis by eight wickets after a dismal batting performance. Despite being fit to play, Mithali, who was in good form, was not selected in the playing XI. The decision surpassed many and Goswami was no different.
"The decision was taken by the team management. I am sure they have their reasons, but as an Indian cricket fan I felt bad to see Mithali sitting in the dugout,” the 36-year-old was quoted as saying by the Times of India. Mithali Raj's Manager Calls Harmanpreet Kaur 'Immature & Undeserving Captain'
Though Goswami believed that it was ‘one bad’ for India, she blamed Indian batters for the downfall. "It's just one bad day for our girls, and it's all over. We played good cricket throughout the group stage but failed to hold our nerve in the semifinal," said Goswami.
"We won the toss and decided to bat but could not make it count. Despite the good start (43 in 6 overs) by Smriti (Mandhana) and Taniya (Bhatia) we crumbled from 89/2 to be bowled out for 112," the Bengal pacer observed. "The girls batted well in the warm-up matches as well as group league stage of the WT20 meet, but our batting display against England was shoddy. Our players failed to adapt to the conditions and lacked application," she added. Harmanpreet Kaur Has No ‘Regrets’ for Dropping Mithali Raj From the Semifinals Even As the Decision Backfired India Against England
India finished unbeaten in the group stage beating New Zealand, Pakistan, Ireland and Australia. Against Pakistan and Ireland Mithali scored half-centuries and was rested for the inconsequential game against Australia.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 24, 2018 01:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).