New Delhi, Mar 06, 2024, IANS

New Delhi, March 6 (IANS) In 2024 WPL, Delhi Capitals’ opener Shafali Verma has been on the better side of being given an early reprieve. Tuesday’s game against Mumbai Indians at the Arun Jaitley Stadium was certainly no different for Shafali and early reprieves.

On the fifth ball of the third over, Shafali got a huge top-edge while trying to pull a short ball against a rapid Shabnim Ismail. Saika Ishaque, stationed at mid-on, ran across, but never looked like taking the catch and shelled the chance.

On seeing that shelled catch, Shabnim mumbled some words under her jersey and though she got out Shafali later in the fifth over, Mumbai made some fielding errors on a chilly Delhi night, though there were some stellar catches taken, reminding many of the poor day they had on the field during their seven-wicket defeat to UP Warriorz in Bengaluru.

Jhulan Goswami, the bowling coach and mentor of Mumbai Indians, sounded optimistic that the team will get better in the fielding department after starting the Delhi leg of the tournament with a 29-run defeat. She also highlighted how Mumbai didn’t have much time to practice before Tuesday’s match.

"Fielding is a part where you have to improve regularly. The more your practice and the more catches you take, the more you will find the right position. Sometimes these things happen. I won’t use light as an excuse, but sometimes different venues, where girls are not used to playing, are a factor. They will learn from these things in the coming seasons.

"In the coming time, they will improve. You need to practice on these ground dimensions as well to judge the angles. We didn’t get the time to practice. We just practiced for 45 minutes before the match. Had we practiced a day before, the runs leaked could have been lesser and the catching could have been better. Whichever team adapts better will have a good chance of winning going ahead," she said in the post-match press conference.

After Delhi’s batters, led by a strokeful Jemimah Rodrigues and a solid Meg Lanning, posted 192/4, the bowlers took over to reduce Mumbai to 68/5 even before reaching the half-way stage. Amanjot Kaur and Sajana Sajeevan offered some resistance for Mumbai to make 42 and 24 not out respectively.

"The message (before the chase) was simple – play your natural game. Unfortunately we couldn’t get a good start and lost early wickets which put us under pressure. Our top order didn’t click and we were still able to narrow that gap.

"If our top order clicked, we would have gotten that result. The wicket was very good. The ground is a high-scoring ground. It is difficult for bowlers to get you out unless you play rash shots.

"The middle and lower middle-order players play in the same position in the Indian team as well. They know the process and the top five batters are quality cricketers. They are constantly chatting with them and learn new things from them. You might have an off day.

"The lower order got a chance today and they performed well. They got a chance and brought the game closer. The way Aman (Amanjot Kaur), Sajana (Sajeevan) and Pooja (Vastrakar) as well batted, it was good to see the Indian cricketers coming down the order and taking responsibility," added Jhulan.

In the bowling department, where Mumbai had a lacklustre day, Pooja Vastrakar shined with 1-20 in her four overs. Before her final over, where Jemimah took two good-looking boundaries off her, Pooja had managed to keep the batters in check with her tight lines and lengths, resulting in her taking Meg’s wicket.

"We have given them clear roles. Pooja is such a quality cricketer. She comes after the powerplay and we have dedicated bowlers in different situations. She bowled very well today. She should continue this rhythm for long, because she is bowling well.

"Wish she gets a lot of success in the coming days. As a bowler it is important to get rhythm and it is important to hold that rhythm. She will definitely improve and she is a big asset to our team," observed Jhulan.

In the race for making 2024 WPL playoffs, Mumbai now find themselves in a slightly tricky scenario, after having their perfect chasing record smashed by an all-round show from Delhi. With three league games remaining, starting from Thursday’s game against UP Warriorz, time is in short supply for Harmanpreet Kaur & Co to regroup quickly and find their mojo, especially in fielding.