New Delhi, Feb 17 Former India captain Mithali Raj believes that UP Warriorz (UPW) skipper Deepti Sharma missed the presence of senior players in the squad in her Women's Premier League (WPL) leadership debut against Gujarat Giants (GG) on Sunday.
Put in to bat first, UPW were restricted to 143/9 in 20 overs with Deepti leading from the front and top scoring for the side with a knock of 39 runs in 27 balls studded with six fours.
For GG, Priya Mishra bagged three scalps while Ashleigh Gardner and Deandra Dottin grabbed two dismissals each.
"Well, I think we need to consider that this was her first game, and we shouldn’t be too critical. She did miss the presence of senior players in the squad, but moving forward, the team management will have to think carefully about the balance, perhaps bringing in an extra bowler instead of a batter. Right now, the batting is heavily reliant on Indian domestic players, so they need to assess their strategy accordingly," Mithali said on Amul Cricket Live on JioHotstar while speaking about what Deepti could have done differently.
"Deepti was playing with a very healthy strike rate at about 140 plus and yes, it’s just unfortunate. She couldn't get the sort of support she required at that time to build partnership. They did have a 40-50 (runs) partnership, but then she wanted more out of the overseas players like Tahlia McGrath or Grace Harris to give her support and stay there and add more runs. Whatever little time she spent she tried to keep that momentum going and get those runs going for UP Warriorz," she added.
In the chase, GG captain Gardner scored 52 decorated with five fours and three sixes while Harleen Deol and Deandra Dottin played unbeaten knocks of 34 and 33 runs, respectively, to guide the side over the line with 12 balls to spare.
Gardner was named Player of the Match for her all-round performance in the clash.
Mithali heaped praise on Gardner for continuing her form in the tournament after scoring 79 not out against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the season opener.
"I think Ashleigh is continuing the rich form she has carried from the series. In the first game, we saw her hitting sixes, and today’s innings was even better than the last. She built a crucial partnership with Laura Wolvaardt, laying a strong foundation for Deandra Dottin to come in and play her role effectively," the former Indian batter said.
Speaking about the partnership between Deandra Dottin and Harleen Deol, Mithali said, "Yes, I think it was an important partnership, because Harleen Deol got an opportunity in the middle and made the most of it, stitching together another valuable partnership with Deandra Dottin. While the runs may not have been big, it was crucial for Dottin to be at the crease because when she is there, you always have a chance to finish the match.
"Harleen also played some impressive shots against Sophie Ecclestone. Though she started a bit tentatively, she looked much more confident as she played in front of the wicket."
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