Just when things were starting to look bright for Team India in the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup, familiar problems resurfaced in their four-wicket defeat at the hands of defending champions England at Mount Maunganui.
And now, Mithali Raj and Co face an even tougher challenge when they take on rampant Australia at Auckland’s iconic Eden Park, which is gearing up to host its first game of the ongoing World Cup.
Six-time champions Australia are one of the only two sides yet to lose a game in the tournament. Along with South Africa, Meg Lanning’s side have won four in four and currently boast of the best run rate (+1.744), thanks to their one-sided wins against Pakistan, New Zealand and West Indies after a 12-run win over England in their opening encounter.
India though, can count on their positive NRR (+0.632), which is second only to Australia, to help them finish in the top four at the end of the group stage, as a result of their solid outings against Pakistan and West Indies earlier in the tournament.
India have won two out of four games in the 2022 Women’s World Cup so far, and currently have the second-best Net Run Rate in the tournament. AP
Once again, it was the batting department that let the team down in the rematch of the 2017 World Cup final against England. While the Bay Oval hasn’t really been a batting paradise when compared to a venue like Hamilton’s Seddon Park, it wasn’t the sluggishness of the track alone that led to India getting bundled out for a paltry 134 — shot selection was as much to blame as were some hasty calls such as Deepti Sharma pushing for a non-existent single that led to her run out.
The bowling department was on the money as usual, with Meghna Singh’s 3/26 along with some tidy fielding helping the Indians snare six English wickets before Heather Knight took her side over the line. It is the batting department’s non-performance, barring a couple of contrasting 30s from Smriti Mandhana and Richa Ghosh, that will force the team think tank to deviate from its plan of retaining the same combination going forward.
For starters, skipper Mithali and coach Ramesh Powar might be interested in getting Shafali Verma, who endured a disappointing outing against Pakistan in her only appearance of the tournament so far, back in the mix in place of Yastika Bhatia. Verma will be itching to open her account in the tournament after getting bowled by Diana Baig for a duck against Pakistan.
While Bhatia did well to provide a positive start in the game against West Indies and will certainly remain part of the team’s plans going forward, Verma’s a different beast altogether when on song, and has the ability to single-handedly win games for her side. Team India will be hoping for her to bounce back in style on Saturday.
However, a victory against Australia, who have been near-unbeatable since the 2017 World Cup, will be something of an upset given the kind of form they’re in at the moment. They had been on a 26-game unbeaten run since late 2017, the streak only ending in September last year at the hands of the team they’re about the face tomorrow. Incidentally, Australia’s last World Cup loss also came against India, with Harmanpreet Kaur’s heroic 171 setting up a memorable win in the semis five years ago.
Australia, on their part, haven’t had a settled combination so far in the tournament, making a change in each of their four games so far though the top five as well as the inclusion of Megan Schutt and Alana King as their pace spearhead and primary spin option respectively have remained a constant.
What will also please skipper Meg Lanning and coach Matthew Mott is the team clicking as a unit, especially in the bowling department.
While Rachael Haynes stands out for her outstanding form that has propelled her to the top of the batting charts (277 runs; average: 92.33), nearly every player, batters, bowlers and all-rounders alike, has made an impactful contribution to the team’s cause. Whether one takes into account left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen’s brilliant final over that stopped England on its tracks or Ellyse Perry’s all-round brilliance against New Zealand and West Indies.
Though a tough challenge, it certainly is not impossible. India had after all nearly beaten the mighty Southern Stars in their own backyard in the one-day leg of the tour of Australia last year, and will be hoping for an encore of the 2017 semi-final to get their campaign back on track.
Squads:
India: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Mithali Raj (c), Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Jhulan Goswami, Meghna Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Taniya Bhatia, Poonam Yadav, Renuka Singh, Yastika Bhatia.
Australia: Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy (wk), Meg Lanning (c), Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Megan Schutt, Grace Harris, Nicola Carey, Amanda Wellington, Darcie Brown
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Time: 6.30 am IST | 2.00 pm local
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