Last Updated on 2 hours ago by Charbel Coorey
In the 18th match of the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, South Africa defeated India by six wickets in a very competitive game. Marizanne Kapp scored 81* runs and chased down the total for her side in a result that has big implications in Group 1.
Radha Yadav, who is amongst the best fielders in the Indian women’s team, dropped Kapp twice. These drops played a key role in the outcome of the game, as had Kapp been dismissed early, India could’ve won the game or at least had a better shot at victory.
Biju George defends Radha Yadav – calls for her to be part of the XI
Both catches were relatively very easy, especially for someone like Radha Yadav. Former India women’s fielding coach Biju George has expressed his thoughts on this. He suspected that Radha Yadav might be carrying a hand injury, looking at the taping on her hands.
In an interview with InsideSport, George said, “If you look at those dropped chances, Radha Yadav’s fingers are heavily bandaged. It does not look like your regular pre-match taping but an injury taping.
“The question that needs to be asked is, ‘Was Radha down with a hand injury? ‘And if so, why was she fielding in the hot spot? Ideally you want to have a tall fielder there; Smriti or Harman would have been better choices there.”
Radha Yadav is not included in India’s playing XI, but she’s consistently used as a sub fielder due to her excellent fielding skills. Biju George advocated the experience that the left-arm spinner brings to the table and vouched for her inclusion in India’s playing XI in the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.
“Mind you, she can give you those 2 overs. You know she is a WPL champion, a very experienced player. Radha is probably the only player to have figured in all WPL finals, whether for DC or RCB, all the finals. So she should be playing,” he said.
India have won two of the three games they’ve played and are second in Group A after Australia. However, they are at risk of missing out on the semi-finals if they lose their final match against the Aussies.
Their next game is against Bangladesh women on 25th June 2026, followed by Australia on 28th June 2026.
