When South Africa and New Zealand square off in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final in Dubai this evening, there will be more than a pang of regret among their Indian counterparts. This was supposed to be the most open edition of the tournament yet, with international women’s cricket becoming more competitive in recent years. That notion was proved right when neither England nor Australia – the traditional powers in the game – made it to the title clash, a first for not just the 20-over version but also for the longer limited-overs version as well.
But while teams like South Africa, New Zealand and West Indies seem to have taken a step forward, India seem to have stagnated – which effectively implies going backwards when everyone else is improving. A lot was made of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and the impact it was expected to have in terms of improvement in skills and providing more depth and options for the national side. But in the UAE, it was evident that India was relying on the same players who have been expected to do the job for the last several years.
Admittedly, two seasons of the WPL may be two few to expect any drastic improvement – the IPL was started in 2008 and India next became T20 world champions only in 2024. But given the resources at the disposal, it’s only logical that questions will be asked when results are underwhelming. A semifinal spot was the bare minimum expected from this team.
New Zealand had a horror run of results going into the T20 World Cup, but started the tournament by upsetting India, and now stand one step away from making history. So are South Africa, who were not known for their depth but found players to do the job in the semifinals against mighty Australia. Anneke Bosch had had a forgettable tournament before she turned the tables on the serial champions. West Indies didn’t make the final, but had their big day when they upset England to make the last four. Qiana Joseph is not a name many would have heard before, but it was her assault – along with that of the more celebrated Hayley Matthews – that set them up for the big win.
For New Zealand, it was the hardly-known off-spinner Eden Carson who helped them defend an under-par total in the semifinal against the West Indies.
Most of these players, across teams, are unheralded and mostly young. It shows that these sides have players coming up who can be relied upon to do a job on the big stage.
Same old, same old
When it comes to India, depth is a mirage. If Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues don’t do the job with the bat, prospects are not bright. Even when one of them is at the crease at crunch moments, there is hardly any worthwhile support from the other end. In the make-or-break group game against Australia, Deepti Sharma came out at No 5 with India 47/3 in 7 overs, needing 152 for victory. She is more known as an off-spinner and while her 29 off 25 balls kept Indian hopes alive, the asking rate had gone over 10 runs per over by the time she got out in the 16th over. Richa Ghosh was supposed to be the designated hitter, but went missing during the tournament. The less said about the batting capabilities of the lower order, the better.
Hitting sixes was the crucial dimension missing in the Indian team, especially late in an innings. The opening combination of Shafali and Smriti was a powerhouse on paper, but didn’t deliver when needed the most. Jemimah flattered to deceive. Harmanpreet was at the crease at the end when India fell short against the Aussies, so may have to take some of the blame, especially as she took singles in the last over knowing fully well that the batters at the other end were not capable of getting the big hits required. The skipper’s two unbeaten half-centuries didn’t amount to much in the final analysis.
India beat Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the group stage – the latter after much huffing and puffing – and lost to Australia in a tense finish. It seems that when it comes to white-ball cricket, India are comfortable running Australia and England close without taking the next big step. They had beaten the Aussies in the 2020 T20 World Cup group stage before being thrashed in the final. On that assumption, they may have assumed that a semifinal place was there for the taking, prompting a bit of complacency against New Zealand that proved terminal in the final analysis.
Looking back, looking ahead
The merits of the decision to prefer preparatory camps to competitive matches against tough opposition in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup are being debated. Maybe, the team was undercooked going into the tournament and was caught napping by the conditions and the Kiwis in their first game.
Also, the musical chairs played with the No 3 spot may have made the line-up a bit unsettled. Harmanpreet and Jemimah came out at one-down twice each despite head coach Amol Muzumdar claiming before the tournament that they had made up their minds about who will take the vital place. The shoddy fielding – dropped catches and missed run-outs – didn’t help India’s cause either.
Looking ahead, the next big assignment is the 50-over World Cup on home soil next year. The top item on the agenda of the decision-makers has to be how to add more depth to the squad as the team cannot rely on just a few individuals to get over the line, especially against the top sides. Harmanpreet will be 36 by then and though she is still arguably the best batter in the side, whether it’s time to give the responsibility of captaincy to someone else needs to be decided sooner rather than later.
India have yet to win a senior world title in women’s cricket. Their stature as one of the ‘Big 3’ is based less on results in big events than on the resources they have and the potential impact the WPL can have on the women’s game. It’s time India stops punching below its weight and starts playing like the powerhouse it believes it is. The next big test is not far into the future.