ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Top reasons ahead of India Women's loss against New Zealand and difficult road ahead of them.
The India Women’s Cricket team faced a tough start in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, suffering a 58-run defeat to New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium. Outclassed in every aspect of the game, the team now have some serious concerns as they prepare for their next match against Pakistan, making Indian fans understandably anxious.
The Kiwis, led by Sophie Devine’s impressive unbeaten 57 off 36 balls, set a challenging target of 161 after a strong start from openers Georgia Plimmer and Suzie Bates. Right from the beginning, the Kiwis were on point and showed their prowess after choosing to bat first. Devine’s late fireworks solidified their score of 160 for 4.
On the other hand, India’s batting struggled against New Zealand’s pace attack, with Rosemary Mair claiming four wickets and Lea Tahuhu scalping three. The early breakthroughs by leg spinner Eden Carson, who dismissed openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana, proved crucial for New Zealand to conquer the game. Harmanpreet Kaur, returning to No. 3 for the first time in 18 months, fell quickly for 15 runs, leaving India in a tight spot. Ultimately, they stumbled to 102 all out in just 19 overs.
Top Reasons for the India Women's loss
Several critical factors that raised eyebrows and left fans scratching their heads contributed to the disappointing 58-run defeat of the India Women's Cricket team against New Zealand.
Questions surrounding captaincy
The primary aspect under scrutiny for now is Harmanpreet Kaur’s captaincy. Her bowling changes and field placements have raised multiple questions. For example, when New Zealand’s Brooke Halliday repeatedly targeted the same area with sweep shots, Harmanpreet failed to adjust the field accordingly. Meanwhile, New Zealand’s Sophie Devine, despite her team’s previous struggles, stepped up when it mattered most, leading her side with a commanding performance. Her strategic decisions, including holding back key bowlers for the latter stages, showcased a level of tactical acumen that was sadly lacking from India.
Notably, Pooja Vastrakar, who is said to be injured, was included in the playing XI. However, the excitement quickly turned to confusion when she bowled just one over, conceding eight runs. This decision to field a potentially unfit player over a healthier alternative turned out to be a risky gamble, and the team paid the price.
Top-order batting struggles
Despite a promising start in their warm-up matches, fans were disheartened to see Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana falter yet again. Losing three wickets in the powerplay, while chasing 161, hurt India’s chances. This increased the required run rate and put pressure on the remaining batters. The collapse proved to be a significant blow, undermining any chance of a successful chase.
Read More: Women's T20 WC 2024, IND vs NZ: Mair & Tahuhu combined 7-34 demolishes India; NZ win by 58 runs
Lack of application from batters
In contrast to New Zealand’s disciplined batting, India’s performance fell flat. The White Ferns made excellent use of the powerplay. Despite losing a couple of early wickets, they built solid partnerships that guided them to a competitive total of 160. Devine’s aggressive approach against spinners highlighted her team’s intent, while India’s batters struggled to find the rhythm. The inability to either play aggressively or anchor the innings ultimately led to their downfall, resulting in a crushing defeat.
Current situation in the points table
India finds itself in a challenging position in the marquee tournament, grouped with heavyweights like defending champions Australia, fierce rivals Pakistan, New Zealand, and the reigning Asian Champions Sri Lanka. While India may feel confident facing Pakistan—having lost to them just twice in T20 World Cup history, with the last defeat back in 2016—they can't afford to take any game lightly. Against Sri Lanka, they have only one World Cup loss, but recent history, including a defeat in the Women’s Asia Cup final in July, adds a layer of complexity.
India's recent match against New Zealand was a harsh wake-up call. After entering the tournament hoping for a lucky break against a team that had been struggling, they were thoroughly outplayed, highlighting weaknesses in every aspect of their game. Now, India must regroup and focus on the upcoming matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Victory in these encounters is crucial—not just for points, but to repair their battered net run rate, currently sitting at a dismal -2.900.
With only the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinals, India’s path forward is clear yet daunting. They must secure wins against both Pakistan on Sunday and Sri Lanka on October 9 by huge margins. This will not only net them four much-needed points but also boost their run rate, which will be essential for tiebreakers later.
The last hurdle will be against the formidable Australia. India have managed to beat Australia only twice in six T20 World Cup encounters and seven times in a total of 33 T20I matches. If India loses to Australia, they will need New Zealand to falter in at least two of their remaining matches to keep their hopes alive, making net run rate calculations a nail-biting affair.
India's next few matches will be very crucial. They need to channel their inner warriors and emerge victorious to keep their semi-final dreams alive and follow the legacy that Rohit Sharma and his team left behind months ago. It is a tough climb, but in the world of cricket, anything can happen!