before the T20 World Cup 2024, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma were one of the most fierce openers of modern time. However, both of them have been seen struggling in Dubai pitches as it does not have enough pace.
before the clash against Sri Lanka, former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar gave an advice to both the openers regarding how to make numbers on Dubai’s slow pitches.
He told them to focus on strike rotation and not search for boundaries as it leads to pressure.
“The batting has been slightly disappointing. I feel the fans will be slightly disappointed with the way they have batted. The batting was very bad against New Zealand. The problem is that the pitch in Dubai does not suit Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana,” he said during an interaction on Star Sports.
“Mithali Raj mentioned in the pitch report that it will have spongy bounce, so the ball comes slightly slower. That’s not an ideal surface for Shafali Verma and Mandhana because they want pace and score through boundaries. Shafali Verma scored a few runs but she shouldn’t think only about fours and sixes in the first five or six overs. This applies to Smriti Mandhana as well,” he added.
