A humiliating defeat at the hands of New Zealand has left India dead last in Group A. Even Sri Lanka, a team that has lost both of their matches in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, are placed ahead of them. One of the favourites to lift the cup could be on the verge of elimination after just 4 days into the event. Harmanpreet Kaur’s India faces arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai tomorrow with the fear of getting knocked out.
India’s poor display against New Zealand
The Women in Blue were facing a New Zealand side that was on a 10-match losing team. What happened? They were outplayed in all departments and walked off the pitch with heads down in shame. A 161-run chase seemed like 220. No batter crossed the 15-run mark. The decisions made by captain Harmanpreet Kaur and head coach Amol Mazumdar were questionable.
India went with just 5 batters and played four bowling all-rounders. Renuka Thakur wasn’t given the new ball. Deepti Sharma bowled the full quota of her overs despite going for 16 in her first and Shreyanka Patil, another off-spinner present. Pooja Vastrakar was given just one over. Dropped catches and misfields can’t be attributed to the captain or coach, but they are a major issue as well.
Pakistan, no easy fish to fry
Will India course correct or back themselves? Rushed and uncalculated decisions could cost them not only the India vs Pakistan match but a chance to lift the Women’s T20 World Cup. But a victory is the need of the hour. They’ll definitely make changes to the XI, but would that create a balanced side against a Pakistan team who are coming off a great victory over Sri Lanka, the side that toppled India in the Women’s Asia Cup final?
Just 4 matches into her captaincy, Fatima Sana has already registered wins over South Africa and Sri Lanka. Pakistan‘s batting continues to be a concern, but the bowling is top-notch. A perfect balance between pace and spin, with as many as 7 bowling options available in the playing XI. Nida Dar may have stepped down as their captain, but she continues to be Pakistan’s leader.
Pakistan has a 3-12 record against India in T20Is. However, two of these three victories have come at the Women’s T20 World Cup. The pressure will be on India instead of Pakistan this time. For once, the Women in Green are ahead of them, and they’ll make sure that pressure is felt at every point in the high-octane game.
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