India lost 3-0 in their T20I series in New Zealand. They lost twice without Raj in their XI, and once with her in it. Her performance in the final match on Sunday, February 10, the only one she played, and where India lost by two runs chasing 162, proferred enough fuel for both sides of the debate to keep the flame wars going.

Here’s the first argument. Raj made 24* off 20 balls. It was the second-highest score for India after Smriti Mandhana’s 86. It was also the highest score all series for any Indian batter not named Smriti Mandhana or Jemimah Rodrigues.

Unfortunately, however, for Kaur and this line of reasoning, the T20 World Cup is just a year away. And India simply don’t have the batting depth or bench strength to constantly attempt the high-risk, “fearless” brand of cricket they hope to play – not when one or more of Mandhana, Rodrigues and Kaur fail.

Besides, there has to be recognition, and humility to acknowledge, that a run-a-ball game, or slightly better, still has its place in women’s cricket. India have one of the stronger and more varied bowling attacks in world cricket, and many T20 analysts would point to Sunrisers Hyderabad or Perth Scorchers to argue that a low-risk approach to batting early on, with one player capable of being an anchor, is a rather good way of doing things.

It’s something the team would do well to explore. Again, although the management might want otherwise, there are few others better than Raj to offer this, and a calm head to add to it. The comparisons with the MS Dhoni situation are hard to ignore, but with fewer challengers for the crown.

Reports have suggested that Raj might hang up her T20I boots, a format she’s never personally enjoyed anyway, before the World Cup. This, while ending all arguments, should be a worry for the team. India’s challenge is not if they should play Raj, but to find where to play her and in what situations. And if for that they need a pragmatic assessment of the kind of cricket they can play, they have less than 12 months to get it right.