India has already lost the five-match women’s T20I series against Australia after suffering a seven-run defeat last Saturday. But as Harmanpreet Kaur’s side gears up for the fifth and final fixture at the Brabourne Stadium on Tuesday, it will be hoping to learn from its mistakes.
So far in the series, the home has been unable to seize the crucial moments and that will be something that the Women in Blue need to be careful about. In the shortest format of the game, finishing a game in crunch times is the key, and barring the second game that ended in a thrilling Super Over win, India has failed to do so despite coming closer to the finishing line a couple of times.
And given the fact that the team will travel to South Africa for a tri-series, followed by the T20 World Cup in February, India desperately needs to improve on its shoddy fielding, work on the lack of firepower and also address its high dot ball ratio - three factors that cost it dearly in the ongoing series.
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While there’s no denying the fact that high-scoring wickets - both at the DY Patil Stadium and the Brabourne Stadium - have made the task difficult for the bowlers, captain Harmanpreet has time and again insisted that “all those things cannot be an excuse…”
With Jhulan Goswami retired and Shikha Pandey no longer considered for selection, Renuka Singh - the team’s pace ace over the last six months - and rookie left-arm pacer Anjali Sarvani have only delivered in patches, and that often led to India losing control of games despite claiming early breakthroughs. Going forward, the team management needs to work on the pace department to ensure that it does not struggle after a steady start. At a time when the pacers have been inconsistent, Deepti Sharma has been the only spinner to have taken five wickets in the series so far, providing breakthroughs at crucial junctures.
There are concerns with batting as well. While Shafali Verma has had her moments, Smriti Mandhana failed to fire barring that one innings in the second T20I and with the openers unable to provide a steady start, the middle-order has been under pressure and the fact that Jemimah Rodrigues has struggled in the last four innings has only made matters worse. With not much time left for the selectors to finalise the squad for the T20 World Cup, the Bandra girl would be playing to save her place in the eleven.
Among the few silver linings, this series has given India a much-needed finisher in the young Richa Ghosh, but in a bid to ensure that she relies on her power-hitting more freely, captain Harmanpreet needs to support the middle-order a bit more. So far in the series, Harmanpreet has found runs, but in crunch games, failed to show resilience, and with a packed schedule ahead, she needs to ensure that she plays the sheet-anchor role, taking the game deep and then pulling things off.
For Australia, however, the final game is just a mere formality, even though the top-ranked team in the world does not want to take things easy. Off the field, the players have had some fun times - from applying mehendi on their hands to doing a bit of sightseeing in and around Mumbai - but when they take the field on Tuesday evening, their focus will be to finish the tour on a winning note.
Australia’s Alyssa Healy walks back to the pavilion after an injury during the fourth women’s T20 cricket. | Photo Credit: AFP
For Australia, Tahlia McGrath will be leading the team as Alyssa Healy, who strained her calf muscle in the last game, is unavailable for the final game. On the eve of the game, McGrath said that Healy will undergo further scans once she is back in Australia.
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While opener Beth Mooney holds the record for being the leading run-scorer in the series, the seasoned Ellyse Perry has returned to form in style, with two consecutive 70-plus scores, and in the last game, she would be hoping to keep the momentum going. Spinner Ashleigh Gardner has been Australia’s leading wicket-taker with five scalps and the visiting team will be hoping to make sure that it maintains the dominance once again.
After that Super Over victory, India had reignited hopes of a turnaround, but things did not go the way it would have wanted. With yet another series defeat at home, Harmanpreet’s team needs to ensure that it learns from its mistakes and gets better in the months to come.
Match starts at 7pm
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