Former India captain Mithali Raj believes India’s batting has shown enough clarity and authority in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, but warned that the bowling department still needs sharper role definition before the knockout stages.
Speaking to Hindustan Times on JioStar Media Day, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup expert Mithali Raj said India’s top order, led by Smriti Mandhana, has already given the team a strong base in the tournament. However, she felt India must still identify their wicket-taking options and clearly define their defensive bowlers if they are to go deep in the competition.
“Batting, I think Smriti is doing great. I’ve really been very impressed with the way she’s shown game awareness, losing Shefali or Jemimah, but she still kept her cool, you know, she had a plan in how she wants to execute or get her innings through,” Mithali said.
“She held one end, and then she had partnerships with the other batters. And Richa is such an integral part of that batting unit coming in the last five, six overs,” she added.
India have had strong batting returns in the tournament so far. Mandhana made a composed 68 against Pakistan before following it up with 74 against the Netherlands, while Richa Ghosh’s late hitting has added firepower to the finishing phase. Shafali Verma also returned to form with a half-century against the Netherlands, giving India further confidence at the top.
Mithali wants India to fix bowling roles
While Mithali was pleased with the batting structure, she said her bigger worry was India’s bowling unit. The former captain pointed out that batters appear to understand their roles better than the bowlers at this stage.
“My concern, of course, greatly is in terms of the bowling because batters do know their role. I mean, clearly, we are able to at least see whether it is Shefali who adjusted her innings against Netherlands. She wanted to spend some time. It is quite evident there, or Jemimah,” Mithali said.
“But when it comes to bowlers, who are our strike bowlers? Who are the ones who are going to get us wickets? Who are the ones who are going to consolidate or, you know, tighten the run flow? There has to be that role clarity in the bowling department, which I feel is sort of, you know, it’s missing in a sense,” she added.
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India’s bowling combination has also been affected by Shreyanka Patil’s injury, with Prema Rawat named as her replacement. Mithali said India now need to think carefully about how they use their seamers and spinners, especially with options such as Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Radha Yadav and Shree Charani in the mix.
“So how do you use your seamers? You have spinners in the ranks. Shreyanka is injured. So perhaps you might get a left-arm spinner, Radha Yadav and Shree Charani. And having just one off-spinner, how are you going to use these overs? So yes, there is a lot of thinking needs to go into that,” Mithali said.
“That would be one big aspect getting into the knockouts is to get your bowling unit to be more stronger. Right now, if you ask me, it is batting that is the strong suit of the Indian team,” she added.
India next face South Africa in a crucial group-stage clash, a match that could offer a clearer picture of whether the team’s bowling unit is ready for tougher knockout-stage pressure.
Watch India vs South Africa in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, June 21, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network.