‘Can’t survive’ on that one knock of 171* – Diana Edulji wants Harmanpreet Kaur to be dropped

Former India Women’s team captain Diana Edulji wants the national selectors to drop T20I skipper Harmanpreet Kaur due to her lack of form in international cricket.

She pointed out that if Jemimah Rodrigues can be snubbed because of poor performances, then Kaur should also be given the same treatment. Speaking to PTI, the 66-year-old expressed her displeasure over Kaur’s underwhelming recent outings.

Edulji suggested that the team management should not persist with the swashbuckling batter only on the basis of her 171-run knock against Australia that came in the 2017 World Cup semi-final.

She said:

“If you are going with the same yardstick which was used to drop Jemimah Rodrigues, what the coach (Ramesh Powar) had mentioned, the same yardstick should be applied to Harmanpreet.

“I am very disappointed with her. She was my favourite player but you can’t survive on that one innings (171 against Australia in 2017). She is only one innings away from a big knock but the effort has to be there.”

It is worth mentioning that Kaur managed just 12 runs in the one-off T20I against New Zealand. Furthermore, the batter has just 20 runs to her name from the first two ODIs of the ongoing five-match series against the Kiwis.

Smriti is the front-runner for captaincy in all formats after Mithali as Harman is not performing: Diana Edulji

Edulji named Smriti Mandhana as the ideal candidate to become India Women’s all-format captain after the retirement of ODI skipper Mithali Raj. She suggested that Kaur could be replaced by Sneh Rana for the next ODI against New Zealand.

Edulji added:

“Even on captaincy front, Smriti is the front-runner for all formats after Mithali as Harman is not performing. I wouldn’t mind dropping her for the next game. Sneh Rana is a good replacement for her.”

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India will take on New Zealand in the third ODI of their series on Friday (February 18). The contest will be played at John Davies Oval, Queenstown. The fixture is a must-win one for the visitors as they look to stay alive in the series.