India were eliminated from the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup at the earliest opportunity, failing to reach the top two positions in Group A after losses to New Zealand and Australia. Here's where their campaign went wrong.
Imbalanced batting lineup
India’s batting line-up is front-loaded, with all four hitters in the side batting in the top four. Shafali Varma, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur - the latter two switching positions between Nos. 3 and 4 through the tournament - have plenty of experience, having played different leagues across the globe. But, losing three quick wickets early on would leave India with little to fall back on, unlike say, Australia, who have Annabel Sutherland batting as low as No.8.
Barring Richa Ghosh, who is yet to find the consistency required of her, India’s lower-middle order is comprised of batters who are not the best strikers. While Deepti Sharma has found success in franchise leagues up the order, she has yet to find the same power for India, with a T20I strike rate of 103.88, hitting just seven sixes in 78 innings thus far. That lack of potential for quick runs down the order pressurised those at the top, especially on low-scoring pitches. This was evident in India's game against Australia, with Kaur forced to farm the strike once Sharma was out as the fourth wicket to fall.
READ: Women's T20 World Cup points table
Failure to adapt to conditions
There were occasions when India failed to put their foot on the pedal and switch to second gear. Against Pakistan, India were four down, needing 26 off 27 balls. There was an opportunity there to better their NRR after their loss in their opening game to New Zealand, which could've been crucial later in the stage. However, there was no urgency. After Ghosh departed in the 16th over, Deepti Sharma walked out to bat rather than Sajeevan Sajana, who impressed with her big-hitting in the WPL. Deepti scored an eight-ball seven without any boundaries as India eventually won with seven balls to spare.
After the win, Mandhana said India did not want to lose a lot of wickets in the run chase and that they would “take the win”. While the match had eventually no larger impact on India’s qualification chances or their Net Run Rate, the safety-first approach could have proven disastrous if indeed it came down to that. Equally, there were also times, like in the match against Pakistan, where they failed to adapt to conditions which weren't conducive to hitting out. Against New Zealand, batter after batter holed out, instead of taking a steep run chase deep into the innings.
