A World Cup in Asia without a single Asian side in the knockouts – not the best endorsement of the subcontinent’s cricketing passion or the robustness of its cricketing systems. Yet, here we are.
India is the only side from the Asian quartet to have previously reached the World Cup semifinals. Expectations were high this time, especially given India had made the knockouts five times in the previous eight editions. The positive results leading up to the T20 showpiece, combined with a carefully selected squad after extensive experimentation, only heightened those expectations. However, a group-stage exit felt like a damp, deflating end.
New World Cup, old problems
Since the 2023 T20 World Cup in South Africa, India played 29 T20Is, with two no-results and nine losses. Preparing for a World Cup in Bangladesh, India faced Nigar Sultana’s side twice. A 1-1 series draw was also played against South Africa at home in spin-friendly Chennai, anticipating similar conditions in Bangladesh.
The Asia Cup final loss to Sri Lanka was unexpected. India had cruised to the final with comfortable wins against Pakistan, UAE, and Nepal in the group stage, followed by a thumping of Bangladesh in the semifinal.
However, Sri Lanka’s planning paid off. Chamari Athapaththu’s side shocked India with an eight-wicket victory in front of a raucous Dambulla crowd, earning a maiden Asian crown.
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India’s senior team did not play an international bilateral series between the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup, which was eventually moved to the UAE. A few players participated in franchise cricket – some in The Hundred, others in the Caribbean Premier League. For the rest, preparations largely came from two camps at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru: a fitness and fielding camp and a skill camp.
All-weather player: Jemimah Rodrigues, a versatile player willing to adapt to any role, ended up floating in the top order, focusing on maximising runs rather than stabilising a shaky batting line-up. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
“It wasn’t just net sessions at the skills camp; the players played almost five games in 10 days. So if you ask for game time, we’ve ticked that box. We played some very competitive games with different oppositions and varied skill sets,” head coach Amol Muzumdar said at the time.
In hindsight, opponents and skills weren’t the problem as much as adapting quickly to conditions was. India faltered in its first game in Dubai against New Zealand, unable to get a grip on the proceedings. That 54-run loss to a team on a 10-match losing streak derailed India’s momentum. A hapless batting performance saw it manage just 108 in response to New Zealand’s 160/4, crippling its Net Run Rate (NRR).
India bounced back to thrash Pakistan by six wickets, but again, the batters struggled on a slow, low track, taking 18.5 overs to chase 105, which did nothing to improve its NRR.
At that stage, while players echoed the usual ‘focus on process’ and ‘seal the win’ rhetoric, Shafali Verma was refreshingly candid, saying, “When you’re a player for India, you don’t need to be told about things like NRR. It’s always on your mind.”
India’s best performance, an 82-run win, came against Sri Lanka. Fifties from Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana powered India to 172, the highest score of the competition this year. Sri Lanka fell short, with Athapaththu unable to find form when it mattered.
In India’s final group game, needing a win against Australia to stay in contention, it fell short chasing 152. Once again, an age-old problem – maintaining composure in pressure situations – surfaced. Needing 14 runs from the final over, India lost four wickets, with Harmanpreet, who had kept her side in the game with an unbeaten half-century, stranded at the other end.
Great Planning, poor execution
India’s campaign could be encapsulated by its approach to the number 3 batting position. In the 2023 winter fixtures against England and Australia, Richa Ghosh emerged as a potential candidate for the spot. Dayalan Hemalatha’s impressive hitting in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) made her another contender, while Uma Chetry and Sajeevan Sajana were also tried during the Asia Cup.
In the warm-up matches before the World Cup, Harmanpreet surprised many by coming in at number 3. Ahead of the opener against New Zealand, coach Muzumdar cheekily said, “If you see the scorecard (from the warm-ups), you’ll know who’s our number 3.”
However, after the first two games, Harmanpreet returned to her usual number 4 spot, raising questions about the management’s backtracking. Jemimah Rodrigues, a versatile player willing to adapt to any role, ended up floating in the top order, focusing on maximising runs rather than stabilising a shaky batting line-up, which she was arguably better suited for in the slow conditions.
Richa’s poor form was evident, scoring just 19 runs across four games at an average of 6.33. Experiments with her at number 3 long abandoned, she slotted in in her usual role as a finisher. But she couldn’t deliver in the crunch game against Australia.
In this spin-friendly World Cup, seamers still thrived. Megan Schutt and Marizanne Kapp enjoyed success, complementing their teams’ spinners. For India, Renuka Singh and Arundhati Reddy took seven wickets each in four games, particularly notable in Pooja Vastrakar’s absence due to injury. Asha Sobhana (five wickets for 65 runs in three games) and Shreyanka Patil (four wickets for 84 runs in four games) were crucial in the middle overs, though Deepti Sharma was expensive, taking only four wickets for 113 runs across four games. Harmanpreet’s six-bowler strategy left the team a batter short, and the decision to leave out Radha Yadav, a proven all-rounder, felt like a self-goal.
Vital cog: Pooja Vastrakar has been an important part of India’s pace attack, but her staggered availability due to injury deprived the team of the benefits her aggressive pace typically provides. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Fielding and fitness: progress?
India’s bowlers were effective but faltered at key moments. Against New Zealand, 13 extras were conceded. Against Australia, India’s fielding was abysmal, with five dropped catches in a must-win game.
That said, Richa took her disappointment of dropping Suzie Bates early in the New Zealand game to training, practising the right technique but the nerves behind the stumps were still evident throughout. Asha and others missed crucial chances, while Arundhati would have finished with a far higher tally of wickets if her fielders had held up their end of the bargain.
Coach Muzumdar’s mantra of prioritising fitness and fielding fell flat on both counts. India was sluggish when it came to running between the wickets, but it improved in the matches against Sri Lanka and Australia, driven by the strong desire to survive.
Harmanpreet: the batter or captain?
A question for the future is whether India values Harmanpreet more as a captain or a power-hitter. While she has the backing of the selectors and coach – evidenced by her retention as captain for the New Zealand ODI series – her ability to turn games around with the bat cannot be overlooked.
Former India captain Mithali Raj has advocated for Jemimah Rodrigues to be groomed as the next to lead, preferring her over Smriti, who currently serves as vice-captain.
Smriti stepped in to lead the team when Harmanpreet sat out the second innings of the Sri Lanka game due to a neck strain, caused by a blow to the head during practice before the World Cup. Smriti’s WPL triumph with Royal Challengers Bengaluru has helped smooth out some of the rough edges in her leadership skills, boosting her confidence in both planning and execution.
Jemimah, on the other hand, has been energising the team with her pep talks and leading huddles. Her presence galvanises the field, a gap that is keenly felt when she isn’t around. Additionally, she steps up to address the media candidly, particularly after disappointing losses.
“Lil J isn’t Lil J anymore. This is my fourth World Cup,” Jemimah remarked in an ICC interview. With the future in mind, the Indian think tank might consider giving this globe-trotting batter a spot in the leadership group, shaping her role in alignment with the team’s evolving pace.
Following its early exit from the tournament, the Indian team has had time to regroup and reflect on the result. Some players, like Deepti Sharma and Yastika Bhatia, quickly returned to domestic T20 cricket. There’s little time to dwell on the past. World champion New Zealand, whose captain Sophie Devine highlighted the win against India as the turning point in their campaign, will visit Ahmedabad for three ODIs in the coming days.
With a 50-over World Cup less than a year away, this Indian side has much to prove. The true test will be whether it can channel its heartbreak into hunger for success on the grandest stage, especially in front of a home crowd.
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