India women self-destruct and have no one else to blame for T20 World Cup exit
Is he capable enough?
If anyone was asked ahead of Sunday’s game which team is most capable of beating a full-fledged Australia, the majority’s answer would be India. At Lord’s, India showed exactly why they were considered capable. But is he capable enough? Maybe not. Maybe not because Australia progressed to the semi-finals while India wondered what could have been.
Amidst all the what-ifs, however, one question stands out: who was responsible for India’s defeat to Australia? Yes, Australia was excellent. Yes, Ellyse Perry and Ash Gardner were great. But who let the match slip away after appearing to have the six-time champions firmly under pressure? Who made it possible for Australia to play the most successful run chase in the history of Women’s T20 World Cup?
As brilliantly as Australia played and showed their class, Harmanpreet Kaur’s India will know they have themselves to blame for the defeat and subsequent exit. Had they kept their nerve and avoided costly mistakes at crucial moments, they could still be alive in the competition.
WHY NOT OVERRIDE?
Even before the match started, India began to hesitate. Their first error came on a throw-in. Along with England, Australia were among the best batsmen in the ongoing competition. This is no surprise, given that they have always boasted about their batting depth. The choice to let them pursue them therefore invited danger.
If that wasn’t enough, India should never have made this decision given how vulnerable their bowling looked throughout the contest. This weakness was exposed against South Africa, where Marizanne Kapp burst into the attack. Without Shreyanka Patil, India’s death bowling looks extremely fragile. If those reasons weren’t compelling enough, the numbers at Lord’s further highlighted why India should not opt to bat first.
Of the 31 Women’s T20Is played at the venue, the chasing teams have won 21 matches, a testament to why India should have bowled first. Sophie Molineux was sensible and got exactly what she wanted, admitting she would also have opted to bowl if Australia had won the toss. Harmanpreet’s decision proved fatal for India and Molineux’s side capitalized on the error to pay a heavy price.
TERRIBLE CHOICE KRANTI
India made just one change in the match, bringing in Kranti Gaud for Nandini Sharma, but the decision was puzzling. Kranti had appeared in two matches earlier in the tournament without taking a wicket, while Nandini was India’s most effective fast bowler and the only all-seamer to break through regularly.
India actually left out their most accomplished pacer for the one who was yet to hit and the move failed. Kranti’s only over against Australia cost 12 runs as Phoebe Litchfield attacked her from the start. She was never brought back to attack after this expensive spell. Kranti Goud played just one against Australia. (Photo: PTI)
Processing the change only added to the confusion. If the team trusted Kranti so little that they only entrusted her with one, why choose her? More importantly, what justified the omission of Nandini, who was India’s outstanding fast bowler during the tournament? It was another selection call that ultimately hurt India on the biggest stage.
FIELD WOUNDED OF INDIA
India’s hopes were not only dashed by poor bowling or questionable tactics; their commitment at crucial moments also let them down badly. It was a recurring problem throughout the tournament, with India losing 11 catches.
Even though they didn’t take a catch against Australia, their overall fielding still fell short. As the chase picked up pace, the outages became even more costly. Kranti Gaud misjudged a cut from Ellys Perry which should have been a routine stop for four.
The mistakes didn’t stop there. India also looked to chip away at boundaries in the deep, with Ashleigh Gardner and Perry repeatedly turning ones into twos and twos into fours with sharp running and hesitancy in the field. Ellyse Perry knocked India out of the World Cup. (PTI Photo)
There were also times when India failed to build sustained pressure. Gardner’s shot went safely as the fielders failed to get to the ball in time. Against a side as clinical as Australia, every extra run mattered. India’s sloppy fielding only eased the pressure on Perry and Gardner, allowing their winning partnership to flourish.
TOO MUCH EXTRA
If poor fielding hurt India, indiscipline with the ball proved equally damaging. There were warning signs earlier in the tournament. Against Bangladesh, India conceded seven wides and three no-balls but escaped punishment as Bangladesh lacked the batting firepower to capitalise. However, Australia will never be so forgiving.
India ended up conceding 10 runs through wides and no-balls, giving Australia valuable leeway in the pressure chase. The trouble started in the opening over when Renuka Singh slashed three wides down the leg side before adding another later in the over.
Instead of tightening the screws after Georgia Voll’s dismissal, India allowed Australia to deal with unnecessary extras. Renuka also struggled with her control against Bangladesh, making the recurring problem all the more worrying.
Indiscipline showed again in the closing stages. Shree Charani stepped up as he tried to bowl a wide yorker to Ellyse Perry, who chopped the delivery for four and turned it into a five-run plus free hit. Renuka then followed with another no-ball in the 17th over. Against Australia, such mistakes were always costly and India paid the ultimate price.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR INDIA?
The FIFA World Cup campaign is over and all India can do now is to introspect and identify areas that need urgent improvement ahead of the edition in 2028. Head coach Amol Muzumdar admitted after the match that the team needs to raise its standards, especially in bowling and fielding, if it wants to consistently challenge the world’s top.
At the same time, Muzumdar defended the pace attack by pointing out that he is still relatively inexperienced. He expressed his belief that the fast bowlers will develop significantly over the next 18 months as they gain more experience and experience. Meanwhile, captain Harmanpreet Kaur did not shy away from reality and acknowledged that India simply needed to perform better against the top teams.
The warning signs were already visible before the tournament. India entered the World Cup on the back of back-to-back series defeats to South Africa and England, with the same vulnerabilities resurfacing on the biggest stage.
Talent has never been India’s problem. The team has enough quality to compete with any side. But talent alone is not enough. Until India iron out the fundamental mistakes, improve their decision-making under pressure and become more disciplined at key moments, they will continue to fall behind when the stakes are highest.
– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
29 Jun 2026 08:50 IST