The Indian eves began their World Cup campaign like a Juggernaut on a rampage. They started it with a comprehensive victory over the hosts, England, in their opening encounter.
And suddenly they found themselves on a four-match winning streak having beaten the Windies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka afterwards. They were high on confidence, full of positive energy and raring to take on any kind of challenge thrown in front of them.
Enter South Africa. A win for the Indian women would have meant their direct qualification to the semi-finals. However, the South African eves had other ideas. An onslaught from Lizelle Lee and an all-round performance from skipper, Dane Van Niekerk, totally demolished India. The result was a 115-run loss for India. Their Net Run Rate also suffered in the process.
Next up was Australia. Batting first, India rode on a century from Punam Raul and a half-century from Mithali Raj to post a total of 226/7 on the board. Moreover, Raj had also achieved the personal milestone of becoming the first woman cricketer to score 6000 runs in ODI cricket. However, the total didn't turn out enough to defend as Australia romped home with eight wickets in hand.
As a result, their NRR suffered further and now they will be playing a virtual quarter-final against the New Zealand eves on Saturday. A win for either team would mean their direct qualification to the semis.
If India want to win their clash against the Kiwis on Saturday, there are certain problems that need to be fixed. It will be very difficult for them to progress further in the tournament without solving these issues.
Jhulan Goswami needs to step up
Jhulan Goswami, the leading wicket-taker in women’s ODIs, is the spearhead of the Indian pace attack. However, she hasn't been able to prove her worth in this tournament so far. She has registered only four wickets in six matches and her economy rate of 4.72 has been way more than her career economy rate of 3.24.
It was only against Pakistan and Sri Lanka that she mustered impressive figures of 1/12 and 2/26 respectively. However, she had been totally ineffective against England, West Indies, South Africa and Australia. Now, it is very important for her to step up against a side like New Zealand.
India need to get their batting order right
India seemed like batting giants with the top order flourishing in the first couple of matches. They scored at a healthy run rate but the credit for that can only be attributed to Smriti Mandhana. The rest of the three top order batswomen in Punam Raut, Mithali Raj and Deepti Sharma have scored at a very slow rate. And with Mandhana failing to contribute in the last four matches, their weakness to score freely has come to the fore.
Deepti Sharma hasn't really fitted to the No. 3 position. She consumed too many deliveries while scoring both the fifties she has managed in this tournament so far. Same has been the case with Mithali Raj. Punam Raul falls in the same category as well. But, her ability to play the long innings and her accelerating capability later on makes her a vital cog at the top of the order.
Extra cover: ICC Women's World Cup: Analysing the rise of Mithali Raj since her debut
India should push the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur and Veda Krishnamurthy up the order in case Mandhana gets dismissed early. Their talents are being seriously wasted down the order with the top order consuming most of the deliveries. Mithali Raj should bat as a floater according to the situation.
Too much pressure on the Indian spinners
The Indian spinners have been superb in the tournament so far, both in terms of economy and wicket taking ability. Ekta Bisht, Poonam Yadav, Deepti Sharma and even Harmanpreet Kaur have bowled well whenever required. However, they have been under enormous pressure as the fast bowlers have failed to provide stability.
Jhulan Goswami's form has been a cause of concern. But, the other two fast bowlers, Shikha Pandey and Mansi Josi, have been inconsistent as well. Their bad performances have had a direct influence on the spinners. They have been forced to try new things, going out of their comfort zone. The result was visible in the last match when they were made ineffective by the Aussies.
Smriti Mandhana needs to fire
Mandhana lit up the World Cup with a couple of blistering knocks, an innings of 90 (77) against England and 106* (109) against the Windies, in back to back matches. However, her form faded away as the tournament progressed.
Scores of 3, 8, 4 and 10 in the following four matches do not make for a great reading. However, she can compensate for those poor performances with a blistering knock against the Kiwis on Saturday. She is the one who can get India off to a flying start and provide the initial impetus. The other batswomen then just need to carry on the momentum.
India are much behind in NRR than New Zealand. It is a do or die match for them. If they get these issues fixed, there is a high chance that they will come out with flying colours on Saturday.
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