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A house ODI World Cup beckons in beneath a yr and the Indian group seems like a jigsaw puzzle with the elements all mismatched if the 3-0 humbling by Australia is something to go by.
Frequent experimentation, persistently strange fielding requirements and a batting order that has regarded disjointed proceed to plague the Harmanpreet Kaur-led facet. One can’t fault the devoted for feeling a way of deja vu as these obvious points had been highlighted heading into the T20 World Cup earlier this yr too, the place India made a sorry group-stage exit.
That is Australia girls’s seventh ODI collection whitewash in opposition to India:
4-0 in 1984; 3-0 in 2006; 5-0 in 2008; 3-0 in 2012; 3-0 in 2018; 3-0 in 2023; 3-0 in 2024
Again to the drafting board
When a group disappoints, they head again to the drafting board to course appropriate. The place does India start although?
Smriti Mandhana termed the group’s fielding ‘still a work in progress’ two years in. The batting unit continues to be depending on Smriti or Harmanpreet carrying the facet on its again. Harmanpreet’s captaincy too was beneath the scanner for not being aggressive sufficient, ironic provided that her aggression and fearlessness had been her USP when she was handed the reins of the T20 facet almost eight years in the past.
Smriti has had a strong 2024 in ODIs. She turned the primary girl to attain 4 centuries within the format in a calendar yr. Barring the one on the WACA within the third ODI in opposition to Australia, the opposite three had been in profitable causes in opposition to South Africa and New Zealand. Nevertheless, Smriti has oscillated between extremes this yr, with both single-digit efforts or scores across the three-figure mark. Discovering a midground with extra consistency is essential for a facet that, in the meanwhile, can be with out the providers of Shafali Verma whose lengthy rope lastly ran out within the format.
Arundhati Reddy, who bowled top-of-the-line spells by an Indian in Australia just a few days in the past, has been missed for the house collection in opposition to the West Indies.
| Photograph Credit score:
Getty Pictures
Arundhati Reddy, who bowled top-of-the-line spells by an Indian in Australia just a few days in the past, has been missed for the house collection in opposition to the West Indies.
| Photograph Credit score:
Getty Pictures
Richa Ghosh’s promotion up the order appeared like an harm mandate when Priya Punia went off injured within the second ODI. Nevertheless, after the sport, Richa revealed that she was instructed earlier than the beginning of play that she can be bumped as much as the opening slot. She opened within the third ODI too. How Richa, who had batted at no. 6 or 7 for almost all of her profession, has turn into a main candidate for the opening slot remained unexplained by the group administration.
Shafali was dropped on account of her inconsistency within the format. Yastika Bhatia finds herself recovering from a wrist problem. Pulling Richa as much as open is a viable technique if there are others to fit in her place for the position of finisher on this group. Nevertheless, India has no like-for-like for Richa, but. That got here again to chunk the facet within the third ODI when a gradual bat in the direction of the top might have had higher luck in turning the end in its favour.
The experimentation is obscure nevertheless it retains in theme with what occurred within the lead-up to the T20 World Cup. Earlier than the occasion, Richa, Dayalan Hemalatha, Uma Chetry and Sajeevan Sajana had been all given a go on the quantity 3 place. Ultimately, Harmanpreet was bumped as much as that place, a curve ball nobody noticed coming till after the group reached the Center East to start its marketing campaign.
It pinched Jemimah Rodrigues who was consistently transferring up and down the order to accommodate Harmanpreet. It’s pinching Richa who did rating a valiant half-century within the second ODI however fell early within the third. Her attacking skill, which was honed into her for the finisher position on this setup, got here by way of in her avatar because the opener. It labored as soon as and failed as soon as.
Sturdy PowerPlays, strong begins and a participant (or two) who can carry their bat at the least midway by way of the sport make all of the distinction in ODIs. India’s fortune seems brilliant when Smriti fires. Because the 2017 ODI World Cup, Smriti has been a part of 30 wins within the format and has scored above 50 in 20 of them together with 5 centuries. She has additionally been part of 29 losses this group has fallen to. The document exhibits that her prime scores — that enhance India’s possibilities of victory — are few and much between.
Harmanpreet, alongside copping flak for lack of chunk on the sphere, additionally has some worrying numbers with the bat. Because the 2017 World Cup – the place her unbeaten 171 surprised Australia – Harman has performed 53 ODIs with simply 9 fifties and three centuries to her identify. Within the format, the quantity 4 slot she occupies calls for stability and an extended effort from her within the center. Her inconsistency, with out the safety of the captain’s armband, would put her in a direct line of warmth. It doesn’t assist that she’s not there to entrance the press when huge losses occur.
Since her well-known 171* seven and a half years in the past to knock them out of the 2017 World Cup semi-final, Harmanpreet Kaur has scored 192 runs in ten ODI innings in opposition to Australia, at a median of 21.33 and a strike charge of 73.84.#AUSvIND
— hypocaust (@_hypocaust) December 11, 2024
Neetu David, the chief selector, rallied behind Harman after India’s exit within the T20 World Cup, however the 35-year-old can be conscious that she’s on borrowed time within the management position.
West Indies carry contemporary questions
Whereas the West Indies introduced its squads for its tour of India just a few weeks in the past, India fashionably selected to launch its squad data two days earlier than the T20I leg was to start in Navi Mumbai on December 15. The announcement got here with anticipated maiden call-ups for just a few home gamers – particularly Raghvi Bisht, Nandini Kashyap and Pratika Rawal.
Nevertheless, what nobody noticed coming had been the exclusions of Arundhati Reddy – who bowled top-of-the-line spells by an Indian in Australia just a few days in the past – and Shafali. Shafali, who was dropped from the ODIs for her low returns within the format discovered herself out of the T20I squad too, a transfer that’s onerous to know given she’s finished little flawed to earn the axe.
Equally puzzling are the unexplained exclusions of all-rounders Shikha Pandey — who has been a lot wanted by leagues around the globe and is contemporary off a outstanding WBBL stint with the Brisbane Warmth — and Sneh Rana. When requested about Shikha’s future in nationwide colors, Neetu mentioned the setup had greater health issues in thoughts. In Sneh’s case, there have been no explanations.
Evaluate this to how the Australian framework has embraced Georgia Voll. She got here in as an harm alternative for Alyssa Healy and made a splash with scores of 46 n.o, 101 and 26, scoring at a brisk tempo and house even in opposition to a difficult bowling. Arundhati received only one sport in a rustic primed for tempo bowling. She confirmed higher management and maximised her skill to swing the ball each methods in that unplayable spell within the third ODI and but she can be headed to symbolize Kerala within the home event over turning out in opposition to the Windies.
One other lengthy rope has been accorded to Deepti Sharma whose batting disillusioned within the T20 World Cup and in opposition to Australia the place batters wanted to shift gears and rating briskly as a result of goal set for them. The 2024 Girls’s Premier League noticed Deepti try to reinvent her batting, engaged on her power-hitting and long-range hits with the UP Warriorz. However not too long ago, her template has fallen again to her previous self, constructing innings slowly and taking lengthy to settle in earlier than attempting to deal with match conditions.
India’s decrease order and tail had been hapless in that 2017 World Cup, and it largely stays to be at this time. Whereas it does function names like Shreyanka Patil (when she’s match), Arundhati (when she will get a sport), Tanuja Kanwer and others who could be fairly helpful with the bat for brief cameos, the tendency is to extra usually fall like ninepins.
Australia in opposition to India in girls’s ODIs because the 2017 World Cup: Australia 11-1 India
Learners’ syndrome
If the problems holding a facet again are the identical over seven years, robust questions should be requested. Since India’s collection loss in Australia, legends like Diana Edulji have referred to as for limiting Indian participation in abroad leagues. It’s tough to see the benefit in that argument provided that gamers from different nations have discovered the power to stability league and nationwide performances with elan.
The institution of the WPL too had the levelling up ability and publicity to greater requirements of competitors in thoughts. It was a event that took form after years of participant requests and prayers for a league that might do for ladies what the IPL had finished for the lads.
Nevertheless, the Indian girls’s group will do nicely to do not forget that – regardless of how onerous the wrestle was to get a WPL going and stay aggressive in its fold in each version – the head of the sport nonetheless is the worldwide fold and the showpieces inside. A WBBL has the respect it has due to the sheer dominance of the Australian girls’s facet throughout codecs and the stacked cabinet of trophies they’ve to indicate for it. England’s superiority on the worldwide stage and its World Cup win included attributions to its home setup together with the now-defunct Kia Tremendous League.
Frequent experimentation, persistently strange fielding requirements and a batting order that has regarded disjointed, proceed to plague the Harmanpreet Kaur-led facet.
| Photograph Credit score:
ICC through Getty Pictures
Frequent experimentation, persistently strange fielding requirements and a batting order that has regarded disjointed, proceed to plague the Harmanpreet Kaur-led facet.
| Photograph Credit score:
ICC through Getty Pictures
India’s issues lie very a lot inside its system. Fixed chopping and altering, the rarity of a gradual taking part in XI in matches, outdated taking part in types and immunity to non-performers aren’t the perfect weapons in an arsenal for a facet desirous to make an impression throughout a house World Cup.
With a number of areas of the sport nonetheless a piece in progress for this facet, India runs the danger of being these children who fail a category yr on yr. What’s the purpose of being perpetual learners for those who fail the massive checks that matter?
(The author was in Brisbane for ABC-Worldwide Improvement’s cricket commentary and MoJo program).
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