Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur remained optimistic about a top-four finish despite their back-to-back defeats in the ongoing ICC Women's World Cup 2025 on Sunday. Hosts India started their campaign with wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan but stumbled to South Africa and Australia, with their clashes going down the drain.
Unlike the first three matches, the Indian top order delivered exactly what the doctor expected. After openers Smriti Mandhana (80) and Pratika Rawal (75) added 155 runs for the first wicket, Harmanpreet, Harleen Deol and Jemimah Rodrigues also contributed to take India to 294/5 in the 43rd over.
However, India's lower order collapsed as the hosts lost six wickets for 26 runs and were all out for 330 in the 49th over. In reply, Australia rode on a majestic century from captain Alyssa Healy to chase down the target, etching their name for the highest successful chase in women's ODIs.
With three matches to go, the Indian team needs to win all their remaining matches to claim the last four spots after the league stage. “Two bad games won't make a difference,” Harmanpreet said during the post-match presentation. “We will sit and discuss. This combination has brought us success,” the Indian captain added.
Harmanpreet Kaur blames middle-order batsmen
Aiming to strengthen their batting, Harmanpreet opted for a five-bowler ploy, which backfired completely. Despite failing to defend 331 runs, Harmanpreet defended her bowlers and came down heavily on the batters. “The way we started, we could have added more than 30-40 runs.
“We missed runs in the last six overs and that cost us. It was a good batting wicket but not batting well in the last six overs cost us. The openers were excellent, thanks to them we scored 300 runs. The last five overs cost us. In the last three matches we were not able to bat in the middle overs. Our lower order took the responsibility,” she added.
What is the future for women from India and women from Australia?
Next, the Indian women will face England on October 19, followed by matches against New Zealand (October 23) and Bangladesh (October 26). On the other hand, Australia has matches against Bangladesh (October 16), England (October 22) and South Africa (October 25).
