"She can play a very important role in the upcoming World Cup" - Jhulan Goswami lauds Saika Ishaque's spell in 3rd IND vs ENG T20I

Jhulan Goswami has lauded Saika Ishaque for bowling a potent spell in the third T20I between India and England. The legendary Indian seamer feels the left-arm spinner can play a crucial role for the Women in Blue in next year's T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.

Ishaque registered figures of 3/22 in four overs as India bowled out England for 126 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The hosts chased down the target with five wickets and an over to spare to avoid a clean sweep in the three-match series.

While reviewing the game on Sports 18, Goswami was asked about her thoughts on Saika Ishaque's performance, to which she responded:

"As a mentor of Bengal cricket and Mumbai Indians, I am very happy. The way she delivered pleased me because I think she can play a very important role in the upcoming World Cup. She always wants to give match-winning performances, always wants to contribute."

The Mumbai Indians mentor praised her mentee for putting her nervousness at bay. She elaborated:

"She called me after the last match. She was pretty nervous and I only told her to settle her nerves and enjoy her bowling. We got to see that today. She was enjoying her bowling and the best thing was she came both around and over the wicket."

Ishaque dismissed Alice Capsey to reduce England to 26/3 after Renuka Singh had struck two early blows. She later dismissed Amy Jones and Danielle Gibson off successive deliveries after the former had added 41 runs for the fourth wicket with Heather Knight.

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"She adapted to the situation very quickly" - Jhulan Goswami on Saika Ishaque

Saika Ishaque (right) made her India debut in the first T20I against England. [P/C: AP]

Jhulan Goswami appreciated Saika Ishaque for adapting to the big stage and executing her plans brilliantly. She explained:

"Her plans were clear - straight and wicket-to-wicket bowling, and she executed that very well. She adapted to the situation very quickly. It's very important to quickly adapt to the pressure when you reach the big stage, and then execute your plans."

The cricketer-turned-commentator was further asked about the Bengal spinner's on-field aggression, to which she replied:

"She is a very fun-loving character. She has a lot of on-field aggression because she comes from a background where you need to fight and struggle to live every day. We told her to implement her off-field struggles for her family on the cricket ground and that is what she is doing daily."

Goswami concluded by saying that Saika is an asset for Bengal cricket and performed extremely well for the Mumbai Indians in WPL 2023. She expressed hope that the 28-year-old continues to perform consistently for the Indian team.