Harmanpreet Kaur strike rate draws concern ahead of Zimbabwe series
Shikha Pandey flagged Harmanpreet Kaur's strike rate as a concern for India's middle order before the Zimbabwe T20 series.
Shikha Pandey called out Harmanpreet Kaur's strike rate on the T20 World Cup broadcast, saying India's former captain needs to improve her ability to accelerate. Harmanpreet stepped down from all-format captaincy on 5 October, and Pandey believes she should stop rebuilding after wickets fall and start attacking when she's in form.
Her last T20I half-century came in late June — 56 off 27 against Australia. Since 2012 her first-10-ball strike rate sits at 95.51, though that Australia innings lifted it to 127.27 for the match. Her best T20I season remains 2018-19, when she posted 151.09 across eight matches.
The gap between those numbers and her slower starts in international cricket is what the selectors will watch when India travel to Zimbabwe.
CricHubb Take
The Zimbabwe series is the first time since June that Harmanpreet will bat without the captaincy weight — and without the safety net of a long batting order. If she can't clear the first ten balls at a better clip, the selectors will have to decide whether the problem is role, form, or both.