From batting aggressively, fielding ferociously to bowling brilliantly, India ticked a lot of boxes on their way to winning silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Not winning gold should not be the lasting memory.
India lost the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold match by nine runs. AP
After pushing heavyweights Australia into a corner for a second consecutive game, India once again failed to apply the finishing touches and close the match. The first time was in the historic inaugural game as women’s cricket made its debut at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Australia were reeling at 110/7 in the 155-run chase, but Harmanpreet and Co allowed the world champions to clinch a three-wicket win with six balls to spare.
In the second game, India had their tails up at 118/2 inside 15 overs chasing a 162-run target. What followed was a batting collapse as they were shot out for 152. India lost eight wickets for just 34 runs.
The first loss didn’t hurt. For India went on to win the next three matches to storm into the final. The second defeat was heart-wrenching. The historic CWG gold medal was almost within their grasp before Australia did an Australia and won another multilateral tournament to reinforce their supremacy.
Now with the tournament done and dusted, it’s time we look at the bigger picture. Of course, the gold is gone. For sure, India had the upper hand in the chase, even if marginally. But by all accounts, a silver at a multinational event comes with its own influence. India reaching the 2017 ODI World Cup final gave women’s cricket unprecedented visibility. The silver at 2022 CWG will only make its case stronger.
India doing well on a global stage not only uplifts the game to a higher echelon but will also inspire a whole new generation to be the next Harmapreet or Smriti Mandhana.
“A medal is something people back home will get inspired by, and they could start playing cricket. As a team, we want to inspire young girls. Doing well on this platform will motivate a lot of people back home,” India skipper Harmanpreet had said after the final.
All-round progress
The run-up to the gold medal match and silver win also highlighted the progress the team has made in recent times. The biggest takeaway of it was the aggressive batting. India posted over 150 runs in four out of five matches. The only match where they didn’t get past the 150-run mark was the Pakistan game where they had to chase a target of just 100 runs.
Let me add more zest to the above stat. India have only posted 150/150+ totals 23 times in T20Is and four of them came in the last five matches. Three of those five matches were against Australia and England. That’s a clear marker of how the team is consistently able to post big totals. Progress for sure.
In the absence of the experienced Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey, Renuka Singh stepped up big time with 11 wickets (most for any bowler at 2022 CWG) at an economy rate of under 5.5. Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma and Radha Yadav gave good support. In the semi-finals, England needed just 33 off last 24 balls to get into the final, but the way Rana and Deepti choked the hosts for runs and clinched a thrilling four-run win was another illustration of how good the bowlers can be in crunch situations.
Perhaps the most heartening aspect of India’s outing in CWG was how they fielded in the final. The women’s team carries a reputation of being a poor fielding unit, but in the grand finale, they put Australia under the pump with their superlative performance on the field. Radha Yadav’s stunning diving catch at backward point, Meghna Singh and Deepti’s tough catches in the death overs and Mandhana’s direct-hit in the final over restricted Australia to 161 when they looked set for a 180-plus total. Another area where marked improvement has been made.
Batting mistakes
Despite all the progress, their inability to close the matches against Australia and another batting collapse does stick out as a sore thumb and that needs to be addressed.
As Harmanpreet admitted after the final, the “batting mistakes” have now cost India the 2017 ODI World Cup trophy, 2020 T20 World title and 2022 CWG gold. In all these three mega finals, India were chasing. In all these three finals, India lost as a result of batting collapses. The fact that Australia were able to edge India despite being in a difficult position was as much down to their mental toughness as skills.
That needs to be the biggest learning from the CWG. But the way India bettered themselves in every department at CWG only goes to show that they are on the right path. If anything, the silver win in Birmingham was a sign that gold is not very far.
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