NEW DELHI: The disappointment was clear on India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and her team after their hopes of reaching the knockouts of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup took a severe blow with a 58-run defeat against New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday.
India, who entered the tournament as one of the title favorites, now face a tough challenge against arch-rivals Pakistan.Pakistan are riding high on confidence after a comfortable victory over Sri Lanka in their opening game.
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India’s next match against Pakistan, whom they have beaten 12 times in 15 encounters, is crucial. Although India have a strong historical record against Pakistan, they cannot afford to be complacent.
Former India captain Anjum Chopra believes the pressure will be on India, but Harmanpreet and her team know how to turn things around.
“Harmanpreet alone is not under pressure. Harman, as a player and captain, has been in such scenarios and situations before. I don’t think she will be under pressure, but the players in the team who have not performed to their abilities or underperformed in the last game must be feeling the pressure and must be thinking about how they can turn things around,” Anjum told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.
“Everyone will be thinking in their respective corners about how they can perform better and put India’s campaign back on track. Everyone in the team needs to pitch in aggressively, sharpen their skills, and be ready for the next game against Pakistan,” the former skipper said.
India are in Group A alongside Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand.
India now must win all three of their remaining group-stage matches—against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Australia—to have any realistic chance of qualifying for the knockouts.
Anjum emphasized the need for India to put their dismal defeat against New Zealand behind them and start afresh.
“In tournaments like the World Cup, especially when you are in a tough group, there is a lot of pressure. In the process, you win some and you lose some. We knew that the group was tough. Every single team in the World Cup is competitive. You just need to believe in yourself and use your cards—your players—wisely. Yes, India can make a comeback,” Anjum said.
“They need to forget what happened against New Zealand and come all guns blazing in their remaining matches. They need to ensure they beat every single team now to enter the knockouts and remain in the contest. If New Zealand had lost their first match, they would have been under pressure. Similarly, India are under immense pressure after losing their opening game to New Zealand. The pressure will be on India. At the end of the day, it’s the World Cup; the pressure has to be there. It’s not like you come into the tournament and just take the trophy home,” she said.
India’s current net run rate of -2.900, severely impacted by their loss to New Zealand, means they not only need to win but must do so by substantial margins to improve their net run rate (NRR), especially if the qualification race tightens.
Besides Pakistan, India will face Sri Lanka and the formidable Australia in their remaining group matches. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals.
Anjum stressed that India needs a better strategy against Pakistan to revive their campaign.
“You don’t come into a competition targeting just one opposition; you have to beat many teams to reach the semis and then beat the best to win the final. I agree there is a lot at stake when it’s India vs Pakistan. Fans expect a lot. There are emotions. As a player or captain, it is not just one team you want to perform against—you have to beat every single team,” Anjum said.
“Yes, the pressure will be there, but if you want to enter the knockouts, you need to look at things differently, whether it’s Pakistan or Australia or any other team. India need to go with a better plan against Pakistan. They need to improve their game plan,” she said.
‘NOTHING WENT RIGHT FOR INDIA’
India’s NRR took a heavy blow after their 58-run loss to New Zealand.
New Zealand had lost 10 matches in a row coming into this World Cup, but they dominated India in a one-sided contest to get their campaign off to a flying start.
Opting to bat first, New Zealand posted a challenging 160 for 4, thanks to a superb unbeaten 57 off 36 balls by skipper Sophie Devine.
In response, India’s batting collapsed early, with wickets tumbling at regular intervals as they were bowled out for 102 runs.
“I don’t think anything went right for India. From the very first over till the end, they were playing catch-up. They were surprised by New Zealand’s onslaught and approach. It looked like, and it was visible, that India didn’t have any plan of action other than anticipating that New Zealand would lose wickets or get out for a low score. There was no Plan B for India. New Zealand played excellent cricket. They didn’t allow India to come into the contest,” Anjum said.
“New Zealand’s 160 was not a difficult target to chase. India have chased that in the past, but the Indian batters didn’t perform well. They didn’t take up the challenge and failed. Yes, the bowlers didn’t have their day, but the batters could have done their job, and they faltered. Nothing went right for them,” she said.