Manchester, June 22 (IANS) Former India batter Veda Krishnamurthy believes India's fielding lapses, particularly the dropped chances offered to Marizanne Kapp, proved decisive in their six-wicket defeat to South Africa in the Women's T20 World Cup at Old Trafford, adding that the team should also consider changes to its bowling attack ahead of its crucial group clashes against Bangladesh and Australia.

Reflecting on the turning points in the contest, Veda said India had several opportunities to tighten their grip on the game but failed to seize them, allowing Kapp to produce the innings that ultimately swung the result in South Africa's favour. She also felt India could have persisted longer with debut leg-spinner Prema Rawat during the middle overs.

"Obviously, with Shreyanka Patil not being there, you could sense her absence, since she is easily your four-over bowler. But Shafali Verma took responsibility and did the job rather well in both the Powerplay and the middle overs. T20 cricket is all about key moments, and the mind goes back to those dropped catches of Marizanne Kapp.

“She got three reprieves, capitalised on them, and the Indian team didn't. I also feel they could have trusted Prema Rawat for one more over in the middle. A leg-spinner bowling to two right-handers, taking the ball away from them, does put some doubt in a batter's mind,” Veda told JioStar.

Kapp remained unbeaten on 81 from 45 deliveries after surviving multiple chances during her innings, steering South Africa to a successful chase of 159 and leaving India's semi-final hopes hanging in the balance. India's bowlers had briefly fought back through Shree Charani's double strike, but Kapp's counterattack ensured the momentum shifted decisively towards the Proteas.

Looking ahead to India's next fixture, Veda backed two changes to the playing XI, calling for the inclusion of pace bowler Kranti Gaud and left-arm spinner Radha Yadav to strengthen the side's wicket-taking options.

"I would definitely look at Kranti Gaud in the side. You need bowlers who can take wickets upfront in the Powerplay, and Kranti has that ability. The second player would be Radha Yadav. Yes, she dropped a couple of catches in this game, but I still want to see her in the XI because she brings another left-arm spin option. We saw what Shree Charani did against the South Africans. So, nothing against Yastika, but if she is not batting at number three and has to move down the order, I would rather have a player like Radha, who can contribute in multiple departments. Those are the two changes I am expecting for the next game,” Veda added.

India now head into their meeting with Bangladesh needing a victory to keep themselves in contention before an even tougher assignment against Australia in the race for the semi-finals.

--IANS

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