Visakhapatnam: In a thrilling women’s World Cup encounter at the ACA-VDCA Stadium, seven-time champions Australia exposed significant vulnerabilities in India’s bowling attack, securing a three-wicket victory. The Australians successfully chased down a formidable target of 331/7, marking a new record for the highest successful chase in World Cup history.
A critical factor in India’s defeat was the noticeable absence of a reliable sixth bowling option. The inexperience of pacers Kranti Gaud and Amanjot Kaur became glaringly apparent, leaving captain Harmanpreet Kaur with limited alternatives as Australian star Alyssa Healy dominated the proceedings.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. Just days prior, South African all-rounder Nadine De Klerk capitalized on the same vulnerability, steering her team to a dramatic three-wicket win against India. On Sunday, Healy aggressively targeted Kranti, smashing 19 runs off her in the eighth over. Phoebe Litchfield followed suit, hitting Amanjot for four boundaries in the tenth over, effectively paving the way for Australia’s victory.
The statistics paint a clear picture: Kranti conceded a costly 73 runs in just nine overs, while Amanjot leaked 68 runs in her nine-over spell.
In the aftermath, Head Coach Amol Muzumdar admitted the need for a strategic overhaul. “After this game, we’ll have a look at it (five-bowler theory) and I’m sure the team management will have a proper discussion. We’ll take the right call as we approach the next game. I’m sure about it,” he stated, indicating a potential departure from their established approach.
However, Captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed her inclination to stick with the existing team composition, emphasizing its past successes. “We’ll sit and discuss (five-bowler strategy) because this combination has given us a lot of success in the past. Two bad games are not going to make a big difference for us. Going forward, there are a lot of things we need to sort out, and hopefully we’ll come up with the best approach,” she explained.
Both Amanjot and Kranti are relatively new to the international stage, with Amanjot having played 12 Women’s One-Day Internationals (WODIs) and Kranti 11. Their World Cup debut was undoubtedly impacted by nerves. India does have seasoned options on the sidelines, including fast bowlers Renuka Singh and Arundhati Reddy, and left-arm spinner Radha Yadav.
Alyssa Healy confirmed Australia’s deliberate strategy to exploit India’s less experienced bowlers. She noted that local spinner Sree Charani had effectively contained their batters, prompting a shift in focus. “I think Charani was getting quite a bit of spin. She was actually the pick of the bowlers. We thought if we could capitalise on the pace bowlers, that would be handy knowing they’ve only got five bowlers in their attack,” Healy remarked.
Muzumdar also highlighted that India’s batting collapse towards the end of their innings contributed significantly to their shortfall of around 30 runs. “The finish is very important. Yes, we need a good start, but we need a better finish. If you see the South Africa game, in the last five overs we ended up losing that game,” he concluded, stressing the importance of strong closing performances in both batting and bowling.