Why Harmanpreet should bat down the order

Leg-spinner Poonam Yadav reckons that skipper Harmanpreet Kaur's is more suitable for the number four position in the batting order due her big-hitting ability, while Jemimah Rodrigues would be ideal to bat at the third spot.

Harmanpreet came out to bat at number three against New Zealand, scoring 15 off 14 balls as India lost their tournament-opener by 58 runs on Friday.

Ahead of the tournament, India head coach Amol Muzumdar had indicated that Harmanpreet would bat at number three in the World Cup.

"I would prefer Jemimah to bat at No. 3 because she can make use of the field when only two fielders are outside the circle. Harmanpreet is better suited for big hitting, whereas Jemimah can rotate strike with singles and doubles and take advantage of loose balls and convert it into a 4 or 6," Poonam said on Star Sports Press Room.

"No. 3 is a crucial position, so having Jemimah there and Harmanpreet at No. 4 would be ideal, as you need both a good finisher and someone who can hit big," said the out-of-favour spinner.

Harmanpreet had registered scores of 1 and 10 in warm-up games against West Indies and South Africa.

The 33-year-old from Uttar Pradesh emphasised the need for India to focus on bowling all-rounders.

"I feel they should focus more on the bowling all-rounders rather than batting all-rounders because their roles in the team are different. If you compare it to Australia, their all-rounders are more batting-focused, whereas for India, they are bowling all-rounders," she said.

"A quality all-rounder who can contribute 30-35 runs in critical situations is crucial. The strength of the Indian team has always been in having proper bowlers.

"If you focus more on quality spinners, you're likely to concede fewer runs. But if you rely more on batting all-rounders, you can add depth and chase higher totals, like 180 runs," she added.

India's current run rate stands at -2.99, making decisive victories crucial in their remaining matches against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Australia.

"The first match doesn't decide anything, but now it's important to maintain a good run rate in the remaining matches. You have to win decisively and come back stronger. Your preparation needs to be solid, and the comeback must be impactful. You have to overcome all obstacles to stay competitive in this tournament."

She also commented on the similarities between playing in India and the UAE, saying, "Whenever a team goes to play a match, you have time for preparation. You settle in, adjust to the heat, and understand the wicket conditions.

"I saw an interview where coach Amol Muzumdar mentioned that the wickets here are similar to those in India. He was saying it won't be too difficult to play on these wickets because they are quite similar to Indian and UAE pitches. It's not that challenging. Weather-wise, too, the conditions in India and the UAE are similar, so it's not a big difference," she added.