There was little for Harmanpreet Kaur to complain about after India’s commanding 95-run win over the Netherlands. Her side answered her pre-match call to improve in the powerplay with both bat and ball, piled up 209 and then bundled the Dutch out to make it two wins from two at the T20 World Cup.
Yet, as she led her side back towards the dressing room at Headingley on Wednesday, one moment would have lingered longer than the result itself.
Just one delivery into her spell in the sixth over, Shreyanka Patil chased the ball in her follow-through before twisting her right ankle. Unable to put any weight on the leg, she received lengthy treatment before being stretchered off in a buggy. Having only recently returned from a long injury layoff, it was an unsettling sight.
The worst was confirmed late on Thursday when Shreyanka was ruled out of the tournament, and uncapped leg-spinner Prema Rawat was brought in as a replacement.
Unlike the Netherlands, South Africa possess the batting depth to expose even minor weaknesses in an attack. More importantly, India’s lack of genuine pace means replacing Shreyanka is not simply a case of swapping one bowler for another.
Against Pakistan, India had opened with Arundhati Reddy and Shreyanka sharing the new ball. The move did not bring immediate success, but it appeared to be the template Harmanpreet wanted for the tougher games. Shreyanka’s willingness to bowl up front allowed India to spread their spin resources through the innings rather than saving them exclusively for the middle overs.
Now that balance is under threat.
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Selection headache
The most straightforward solution would be to recall Radha Yadav. Sree Charani has all but cemented one spin-bowling spot after successive impressive performances, including figures of 4/19 against the Netherlands. Radha offers another left-arm spin option while adding exceptional value in the field. She has also become a more reliable batter, underlined by her match-winning 66 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Gujarat Giants in this year’s WPL.
Her return would allow India to retain five frontline bowlers, with Shafali Verma remaining the sixth option if required.
Another possibility is bringing back Bharti Fulmali, who was left out against the Netherlands. Fulmali is still searching for a defining innings since returning to the national side – her highest score remains 40 against South Africa in Benoni – but she would lengthen India’s batting.
That approach, however, comes with obvious risks. India would effectively have only five bowling options, placing added responsibility on Shafali if one of the specialists has an off day.
Then there is the pace option. India could bring in either Arundhati Reddy or Renuka Singh Thakur. It would preserve the new-ball strategy but leave Harmanpreet with one fewer specialist spinner to dictate the middle overs.
None of the choices is perfect. Radha strengthens the spin department, Fulmali deepens the batting, while an extra seamer maintains India’s pace resources. Each solves one problem while creating another.
Shafali’s growing role
If there has been one unexpected positive, it has been Shafali’s growing influence with the ball. Her emergence as a genuine part-time off-spinner began in the ODI World Cup final against South Africa, when Harmanpreet tossed her the ball to break a dangerous partnership. Shafali responded by dismissing Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp, finishing with figures of 2/36 from seven overs.
“When I got the ball, I thought that I just had to pick up a wicket because we saw how good a partnership Sune Luus and Laura Wolvaardt were building. When I got the wicket on the second ball, I couldn’t express my happiness. Then I wanted to take the wicket of Marizanne Kapp, and I was happy when I removed her as well. After that, I thought that I had to give as few runs as possible and increase the dot balls. I always ask Harry di (Harmanpreet) to give me the ball during fielding, and I’m glad she did that day,” Verma told The Indian Express earlier this year.
That trust appears to have only strengthened.
Shafali bowled with the new ball during India’s warm-up matches and was called upon again after Shreyanka’s injury against the Netherlands. She responded by taking 3/20 in her four overs, as India’s attack barely skipped a beat despite the injury.
Whether that display persuades India to pick an extra batter instead remains to be seen. Two emphatic wins have given Harmanpreet’s side momentum and reinforced several encouraging signs – Smriti Mandhana’s batting, Richa Ghosh’s finishing, Charani’s emergence as a genuine wicket-taking threat and the squad’s ability to adapt when plans change.
But just as India seemed to have settled on their preferred combination, Shreyanka’s tournament-ending injury has thrown a spanner in the works. How they respond could determine not just Sunday’s match with South Africa, but also the trajectory of their World Cup campaign.
