A home ODI World Cup beckons in under a year and the Indian team looks like a jigsaw puzzle with the parts all mismatched if the 3-0 humbling by Australia is anything to go by. Frequent experimentation, persistently ordinary fielding standards and a batting order that has looked disjointed continue to plague the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side. One can’t fault the faithful for feeling a sense of deja vu as these glaring issues were highlighted heading into the T20 World Cup earlier this year too, where India made a sorry group-stage exit.
This is Australia women’s seventh ODI series whitewash against 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 Back to the drawing board When a team disappoints, they head back to the drawing board to course correct. Where does India begin though? Smriti Mandhana termed the team’s fielding ‘still a work in progress’ two years in. The batting unit is still dependent on Smriti or Harmanpreet carrying the side on its back.
Harmanpreet’s captaincy too was under the scanner for not being aggressive enough, ironic given that her aggression and fearlessness were her USP when she was handed the reins of the T20 side nearly eight years ago. Smriti has had a solid 2024 in ODIs. She became the first woman to score four centuries in the format in a calendar year.
Barring the one at the WACA in the third ODI against Australia, the other three were in winning causes against South Africa and New Zealan.
