Everything has clicked for India so far at the T20 World Cup. Two wins from two games, a commanding net run-rate and several players already finding top gear have made for an ideal start to their campaign.
Smriti Mandhana has been India’s most reliable batter, Deepti Sharma their most influential bowler, while Richa Ghosh and Sree Charani have excelled in supporting roles.
But beneath the positive results lies a subplot India will be eager to resolve. Their No.3, Jemimah Rodrigues, is yet to leave her mark on the tournament.
The right-hander, who has been reinstated to No.3 after being pushed down during the England series, has had a quiet start to the World Cup. While she played a brisk knock of 19 against the Netherlands after the openers had put on 115 runs, it was her stay against Pakistan that raised a few questions.
Shafali’s early dismissal meant India needed some rebuilding, with caution and aggression in equal measure. Mandhana, with her strong off-side play, was expected to provide the aggression, while Rodrigues had to rotate the strike.
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Yet, she never looked settled during her brief stay. Rodrigues found scoring difficult as Pakistan kept the pressure on with disciplined lines on a sluggish surface. She was nearly run out early in her innings and struggled to find any fluency against both seam and spin. Her stay ended in the fourth over when, attempting an uncharacteristic heave across the line against Tasmia Rubab, she top-edged a simple catch to cover, leaving India in a spot of bother at 18/2.
South Africa’s attack on Sunday will arguably be the most varied that India will face at this T20 World Cup. The 25-year-old made only 82 runs in the five T20Is against them in their own backyard earlier this year and was dismissed three times by spin, two of those scalps taken by the duo she will again come up against at Old Trafford – Nonkululeko Mlaba and Chloe Tryon.
Comfortable off the back foot and strong on the sweep, Rodrigues is among India’s better players of spin. As surfaces wear during the tournament, that strength could become increasingly important.
That makes Sunday’s contest more than another group-stage fixture. It is an opportunity for Rodrigues to reassert her importance in this batting order.
By numbers
Against spin since 2023, Rodrigues has been one of the world’s most productive No.3 batters in women’s T20Is, scoring 511 runs in 33 innings at an average of 31.94 and a strike rate of 118.01 – the third-highest run aggregate in this category.
During her career, Rodrigues has been watchful in the powerplay, scoring 655 runs at a strike rate of 93.2 while carrying a dot-ball percentage of 52.2.
However, once the field has spread, she has upped her scoring rate and been prolific in the middle overs, scoring 1,661 runs in 86 innings at 124.2. At the death, her strike rate climbs to 156.8, highlighting her finishing ability.
Those numbers also explain why India have continued to back Rodrigues at No.3 despite experimenting with several options in the role over the past few years.
Since 2023, Rodrigues has established herself as one of the best middle-order batters in women’s T20Is. Batting predominantly between Nos. 3 and 6, she has scored 1,174 runs in 51 innings at a strike rate of 127.61, the fifth-highest aggregate among players in those positions during the period.
Her strike rate of 127.61 comfortably exceeds that of several established middle-order batters, including Amelia Kerr (121.97) and Harmanpreet Kaur (122.12).
Ghosh (151.50), Nat Sciver-Brunt (135.44) and Ellyse Perry (131.01) have scored faster among the leading run-getters, underlining Rodrigues’ ability to balance accumulation with control despite often walking in during rebuilding phases.
Since the start of 2023, India have tried eight players at number three, all of whom have combined to score 1,429 runs in 65 matches at a strike rate of 129.79. Rodrigues alone has made 857 runs in 38 matches at 118.69, thereby making the spot her own.
“As a batter, it is just a shift in mindset. In T20 cricket, compared to other formats, you have to take calculated risks. For me, it is about being smart with when to take those risks and how to put the bowlers and the opposition under pressure. That will be my mindset,” Rodrigues had told Jiostar earlier.
India looked set to end on a below-par score in their match against Pakistan if not for Ghosh’s cameo at the end. Runs from Rodrigues would ease the burden on Ghosh, allowing the wicketkeeper-batter to play the finishing role she is best suited to, rather than having to launch from ball one.
(With stats inputs from Lalith Kalidas).
