India not good enough against top teams: Harmanpreet Kaur on T20 World Cup exit

Harmanpreet Kaur has admitted that India were not good enough against stronger teams in the Women’s T20 World Cup, a shortcoming that ultimately led to their early exit from the tournament. India then collapsed on Sunday 28 June suffered a six-wicket defeat to Australia in their Group A clash at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground.

India started their campaign on a positive note with wins over Pakistan and the Netherlands to climb to the top of the table. However, their momentum soon faded. They suffered a defeat to South Africa before bouncing back with a win over Bangladesh. But with a semi-final berth on the line, India could not hold their nerve against Australia in a must-win encounter.

India vs Australia Women’s World Cup T20: Update | Scorecard

“When I look at the whole tournament, we didn’t do well against the stronger teams. Against the best teams, you need to play your best cricket and I think we need to rethink our approach in these games,” Harmanpreet said at the post-match ceremony.

‘A LOT OF THINGS TO THINK ABOUT’

After opting to bat first, India posted 170 for 4 but Australia were chasing the target with five balls to spare. Harmanpreet said Australia executed their bowling plans to perfection and felt that India failed to post a competitive total despite keeping wickets for most of the innings.

“Australia is one of the best teams. They played according to their plans and although we didn’t lose many wickets, we also didn’t get the scores we expected,” said Harmanpreet.

“As a group, we have to reassess a lot of things, especially how we perform against the top teams. We have been in the game too often, but in the last few overs we have conceded too many runs. And when we are chasing, we have not been able to score those crucial runs with the bat. I think it has been happening for quite some time,” added Harmanpreet.

Australia and South Africa advanced to the semi-finals from Group A, while West Indies and England secured the two qualifying spots from Group B. India, who lifted the ODI World Cup last year, will now have to wait for another opportunity to end their wait for a maiden Women’s T20 World Cup crown.

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Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

28 Jun 2026 23:40 IST