India Women started off the World Cup campaign strong, winning both their first two matches of the tournament. But little did they know that the downfall was waiting for them and led them to lose the next two matches eventually.
In the inaugural match against Sri Lanka in Guwahati, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led India team dominated the first innings with the bat, setting up a target score of 269. Deepti Sharma and Amanjot Kaur successfully secured a partnership of 100 runs in 94 balls. When it came to bowling, the bowlers successfully claimed all the wickets, restricting Sri Lanka to 211.
Their confidence continued in the next match against Pakistan Women on October 5, one of the biggest clashes of the tournament, which they won by 88 runs. After setting out a target score of 247, the Pakistani batters fell short and ended in deep trouble with all wickets lost at 159 runs.
With two successful wins, India Women made it to the top spot of the points table, but with that came the downfall. They lost the next consecutive matches played against the South African and Australian women’s teams.
In the match against South Africa, the Indian team fell short due to a failed top and middle-order batting line-up that cost them all the wickets in the first innings. The Indian bowlers managed to get some wickets until the batters completed the run chase with one over left.
Another big defeat came against the Australian team that saw some positive and negative pointers from the Indian team. The batting line-up got scores from Smriti Mandhana, who was the highest scorer in Australia’s three-day ODIs. The top- and middle-order batters scored with the bat, but the low-order failed to continue the momentum and add more runs. Australian captain Alyssa Healy was a power boost to the team, scoring 142 runs, and with other batters adding runs to the chase of 331, which they won in 49 overs.
To ensure their spot in the semi-finals, India Women have to win at least two out of the three remaining matches left in the tournament. Meanwhile, Australia Women is the first team to qualify for the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup after their last win against Bangladesh Women.
India Women’s upcoming fixtures follow with their match against England Women on October 19, followed by their game against New Zealand on October 23. Their final match ahead of the semi-finals is against Bangladesh on October 26.
