New Delhi: India were eliminated from the group stage of the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 after New Zealand defeated Pakistan by 54 runs in Dubai on Monday, October 14. India’s hopes were pinned on Pakistan after their 9-run defeat against Australia in their final group-stage clash. However, Pakistan went down against the Kiwis after suffering a terrible batting collapse in the 11-run chase.
Pakistan were skittled out for a paltry 56 in just 11.4 overs in the run-chase to bow out of the tournament and end India’s hopes of qualifying for the top 4. Australia and New Zealand finished in the top two spots in Group A respectively to qualify for the semi-finals. Australia remained unbeaten to finish with 8 points from 4 wins in 4 matches while New Zealand progressed after securing three wins from 4 matches.
India’s shattering 58-run loss against the Kiwis in their opener proved costly as it effectively pushed them out of contention for the semi-finals. India did manage to bounce back by beating Pakistan and Sri Lanka in their next two matches. However, their loss against Australia all but confirmed their exit from the tournament.
India would have qualified had Pakistan managed to beat New Zealand on Monday. But that was too much of an ask from the Fatima Sana-led side, who failed to turn up with the bat once again. Pakistan were very much in the game after restrictions New Zealand to 110/6 in 20 overs but none of their batters managed to step up in the chase to take the team home.
What went wrong for India in Women’s T20 World Cup 2024?
1) Shock defeat against New Zealand
India got off to a horrible start in the tournament with a shocking defeat at the hands of New Zealand in their opener. New Zealand, who were winless in their last ten T20Is, comprehensively thrashed India by 58 runs to put a huge dent in the chances of making it to the semi-finals. There was no coming back for India after the shock defeat as they eventually bowed out of the tournament with just 2 wins from 4 matches.
A poor bowling effort combined with sloppy fielding followed by a disastrous chase cost India the opener against New Zealand which derailed their campaign in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. India had a chance to regroup and bounce back with three matches in hand, but the Women in Blue never looked convincing enough to secure progression to the knockout stages.
2) Top order failure
Barring their game against Sri Lanka, India’s top order was a failure throughout their campaign in the group stage. While opener Shafali Verma did manage to get starts but struggled in converting them into big knocks, her opening partner Smriti Mandhana failed to deliver at all under pressure. Mandhana finished with a dismal 75 runs from 4 matches and was not even in the top 15 highest run-getters in the group stage.
Barring her 50 against Sri Lanka, the left-hander’s scores read 12, 7 and 6 in the other three matches, highlighting her struggles. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur batted at no.3 in the opener against New Zealand and was dismissed cheaply on 15 before Jemimah Rodrigues was shifted back to her original no.3 slot from no.4. Rodrigues too failed to make an impact and could only manage a meagre 68 runs in 4 matches.
3) Lack of conviction
There was a clear lack of conviction and confidence in India’s approach following their 58-run drubbing against New Zealand in the opening game. India laboured their way to the 106-run target against Pakistan and never looked convincing. While they did manage to brush aside their concerns with the bat in the comprehensive win against Sri Lanka, it was the same case against Australia.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur washed a lone battle against the Aussies and failed to find support from the other end. Barring opener Shafali Verma, who played a good hand of 20 off 13 up top to set the tone and Deepti Sharma, who contributed well in the middle order, none of the Indian batters managed to step up under pressure.
In the dying moments of India’s run-chase, Harmanpreet’s approach was also baffling as she twice opted to go for a single despite being the set batter with 14 needed off the last six balls. India eventually could only get 4 runs and lost as many as 4 wickets in the brilliant last over bowled by Annabel Sutherland to concede defeat and bow out of the tournament.
4) Poor batting depth, sloppy fielding
Despite having fielded their best possible XI in all matches, the lack of depth in India’s batting was crystal clear. With only six recognised batters and no proper all-rounders in the side, Inda’s poor batting depth came back to haunt them in the tournament. The sloppy fielding didn’t help the team’s cause as numerous dropped catches and misfields helped the opposition gain control in crucial stages of the game.
India were eliminated from the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 after New Zealand thrashed Pakistan by 54 runs in their final group stage clash in Dubai to book a spot in the semi-finals. India’s hopes were pinned on Pakistan after Harmanpreet & Co. suffered a close 9-run defeat against Australia in their final league game on Sunday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
