The Indian women’s cricket team finds itself in a challenging position as they gear up to face the reigning champions Australia in a crucial Women’s World Cup 2025 match in Visakhapatnam this Sunday. Following a three-wicket defeat to South Africa, India is under pressure to display greater tactical flexibility, with a key focus on integrating a sixth bowling option to reinvigorate their campaign.
The loss against South Africa starkly highlighted the deficiencies of relying on a five-bowler strategy. Without an additional specialist, captain Harmanpreet Kaur was forced to resort to her part-time off-spin, a move that proved insufficient when South African batters aggressively targeted India’s pacers in the death overs. Kranti Gaud and Amanjot Kaur, in particular, struggled, conceding 30 runs across the 47th and 49th overs, which ultimately enabled South Africa to successfully chase a 252-run target.
India’s current bowling attack consists of two right-arm pacers (Gaud, Amanjot), two off-spinners (Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana), and a left-arm spinner (Sree Charani). This one-dimensional approach could once again be exploited by Australia’s powerful batting lineup.
The Urgent Need for a Sixth Bowler
A reliable sixth bowling option is paramount for India. Harmanpreet’s occasional off-spin will likely not trouble a strong Australian batting unit featuring formidable hitters like Alyssa Healy, Ashleigh Gardner, and Ellyse Perry. However, selecting the right addition poses its own set of challenges.
Balancing Bowling and Batting Lineup
South Africa’s Nadine de Klerk’s admission that her team specifically targeted India’s pacers while spinners found more turn suggests that India might benefit from an additional spinner. Radha Yadav, an experienced left-arm spinner who can also contribute with the bat down the order, is a prominent candidate. Yet, her inclusion could be complicated by Australia’s two left-handed batters, Beth Mooney and Phoebe Litchfield, who are known to prefer facing left-arm spin.
Another potential alteration could see pacer Arundhati Reddy replace Amanjot Kaur. However, this change risks weakening India’s lower-order batting, a segment that has frequently bailed the team out of trouble.
Replacing Harleen Deol with Yadav is also a consideration, though this could further destabilize an already inconsistent top order.
Top Order Concerns Persist
India’s top-order struggles have become a recurring issue throughout this tournament. While they narrowly escaped collapses against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, their batting faltered completely against South Africa. Australia’s potent attack is expected to be even less forgiving.
The onus is on key batters like Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Jemimah Rodrigues to lead from the front. Smriti Mandhana, in particular, needs to regain the form she displayed before the World Cup, where she amassed 928 runs in 14 innings at an impressive average of 66. Her current form, with just 54 runs from three matches, has significantly impacted India’s starts. Nevertheless, there’s a ray of hope: Mandhana has a strong record against Australia, having scored 916 runs at an average of 48.21, including four centuries in ODIs.
India will be counting on their vice-captain to rediscover her touch and stabilize the team before they face challenging fixtures against England and New Zealand.
Squads
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Uma Chetry, Renuka Singh Thakur, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud.
Australia: Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ash Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham.