The long-standing debate surrounding the India women's no. 3 spot in T20Is has seemingly come to a conclusion, with the answer being the captain, Harmanpreet Kaur. Ahead of India's T20 World Cup opener against New Zealand, head coach Amol Muzumdar confirmed the decision that had been internally settled long before the tournament, despite the recent experimentation.

“Absolutely. Not just the warm-up games, but we had already decided back in India, during the camps that happened before we set off for the World Cup,” Muzumdar said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

"These pre-World Cup matches stamped that for us. If you go through the scorecards, it was already there.

“Is it a surprise? No. If you can guess, you can go through the scorecards and you will find it.”

This move represents a significant shift in India's batting strategy. Harmanpreet, who usually occupies the No. 4 or 5 spot, has often found herself constrained by the match situation when coming in later, having to accelerate from ball one. By promoting her to No. 3, India aim to give her ample time to settle in and unleash her power game in a more effective manner.

Harmanpreet's ability to change the game when set has always been her biggest asset, and the management is banking on her to maximise that potential from the pivotal No. 3 position. "The reasoning is clear. We want to give her the best chance to get set and take full advantage of her power hitting,” Muzumdar explained.

Despite low scores in the recent warm-up matches, the plan to solidify Harmanpreet's place at No. 3 was already locked in long before the tournament began.

The decision comes after a period of trial and error, with several players being tested in that role. Dayalan Hemalatha’s seven-match stint yielded only 139 runs, and brief experiments with Sajeevan Sajana and Uma Chetry also didn’t provide the desired consistency.

India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign on Friday when the side takes on New Zealand.

India's depth and WPL's influence

While the decision on Harmanpreet's role is the headline, Muzumdar also stressed the depth India have developed, crediting the Women’s Premier League (WPL) for strengthening the talent pool. Players like Sajana and all-rounder Shreyanka Patil have used the platform to build their reputations, with Shreyanka becoming a key player in India’s bowling attack despite being only 12 T20Is old.

"The WPL has given us a strong base to find players. Players like Shreyanka, S Asha, and Radha Yadav have all accelerated their development through the league," Muzumdar noted.

He also emphasised that the backing these players receive from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) through structured monitoring systems has enhanced their fitness and fielding standards, which were focal points when he took over as coach.

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