India vs England Women's T20 Semi-Final: Harmanpreet opens up on benching Mithali Raj

Indian batting collapsed as they managed only 112 with eight wickets falling for 24 runs

India took a massive step ahead before getting into the semi-final of the ongoing Women’s World T20. They chose to rest Mithali Raj for the game and later, succumbed to an 8-wicket defeat which led them out of a tournament despite a terrific stint in the group stages.

This step of Indian team management backfired during the game as the Indian eves went through an unexpected and heart-wrenching batting collapse. However, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur stated that she has "no regrets" as it was a decision taken keeping team's interests in mind.

During the toss, the Indian captain said, “It’s not about not selecting Mithali, it's about keeping a winning combination.”

After losing to England by 8 wickets, she was questioned again about the decision. She defended her decision by saying, “Whatever we decided, we decided for the team.”

“Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, no regrets. I'm proud of the way my girls played through the tournament. This is a learning process for us because we are a young team. Sometimes you have to change your game according to the wicket. England bowled really well, read the wicket really well. It was not an easy total to chase, and our bowlers bowled really well. We stretched the match till the 18th over," Harmanpreet said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Mithali's strike-rate was always an issue but considering that Taniya Bhatia hasn't been able to accelerate and Veda Krishnamurthy in poor form, the decision to drop a seasoned campaigner boomeranged on India.

Indian batting collapsed as they managed only 112 with eight wickets falling for 24 runs as the visibly upset veteran's blank stare sitting in the dugout said it all.