India Women crush Pakistan but cracks remain ahead of tougher tests

India couldn’t have asked for a better start to their Women’s T20 World Cup campaign after a dominant win over Pakistan. Their spinners had already impressed in the preliminaries and on Sunday the quartet of Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma, Shreyanka Patil and Shree Charani once again showed their worth and played a key role in the win.

While India have started the tournament on a positive note, the challenges will only intensify as heavyweights Australia and South Africa are still to come in Group A.

Although the spin attack has been India’s greatest strength, there are areas that need attention. Fast bowling remains one of them. From the T20I series against South Africathe pace trio of Kranti Goud, Arundhati Reddy and Renuka Singh struggled to maintain control, often conceding runs at a high rate and allowing the opposition batsmen to run free.

There is no doubt that India’s spinners will be central to their hopes of a deep run in the tournament. However, conditions may not always be in their favor. India is set to face Australia at Lord’s, a venue that has traditionally offered help to seamen.

With South Africa also firmly in contention for a semi-final spot, this clash with Australia could prove crucial in determining progression from the highly competitive Group B.

STOP PROTECTING RENUKA TOO MUCH

Renuka Singh did not play against Pakistan. Courtesy: Reuters

It is hard to ignore the fact that Renuka Singh remains the spearhead of India’s pace attack. Yet surprisingly, she has not played a single match since the T20I series against South Africa. The fast bowler returned from a long injury lay-off in September last year and since then, the Indian team management seems to be taking an extremely cautious approach to her workload.

That caution was also evident in last year’s ODI World Cup when she did not feature in every match. Against Pakistan in the Women’s T20 World Cup opener at Edgbaston, India opted for Kranti and Arundhati.

While Shreyanka, Deepti, Shafali and Charani dominated the proceedingsthe pace duo struggled to impress and conceded 35 runs in three overs without picking up a wicket.

Those expensive overs allowed Pakistan to race to 52 in the over and briefly put themselves in a position to challenge India. Fortunately for the Women in Blue, the spinners pulled it back. But what if not?

This is exactly why India need to bolster their opening fast bowler. Big tournaments are occasions where players like Renuka are guided carefully.

Even though she endured a difficult series in South Africa, the fact that she is India’s leading wicket-taker among pacers in women’s T20Is cannot be ignored. With the tougher challenges ahead, logic suggests that India should bring her back into the playing XI sooner rather than later.

WHY NOT NANDNI?

Nandni Sharma made her India debut in the England T20I series. Courtesy: BCCI Women

While India is not inclined to bring Renuka back, it has a promising young option in Nandni Sharma. Nandni played a key role in helping Delhi Capitals reach the WPL final, where she impressed with a five-wicket haul and a hat-trick against Gujarat Giants, catching the attention of the selectors.

The Chandigarh pacer further proved her potential at the international level as well, posting the second-best figure by an Indian pacer on Women’s T20I debut. Known for her ability to swing the ball, she could be particularly effective in English conditions. Her three-wicket haul on debut at Chelmsford further demonstrated her suitability for the seams and swing-friendly surfaces.

On the other hand, Kranti struggled for consistency, bowling just one over Pakistan in which she conceded 14 runs. In comparison, Nandni offers a fresher option and could emerge as a surprise package for India, especially against batsmen from South Africa and Australia, the very lineups she has already faced in the WPL.

TERRAIN NEEDS IMPROVEMENT

Richa Ghosh took a catch against Pakistan. Courtesy: AFP

While fast bowling remains an issue, India also need to improve their fielding. Smriti Mandhana took a brilliant catch to dismiss Ayesha Zafar while Shreyanka Patil produced a brilliant effort to remove Rameen Shamim. However, outages in the field remain a problem.

Shreyanka was left frustrated after two catches fell to her while bowling. First Richa Ghosh dropped Muneeba Ali early and later Arundhati offered another reprieve. Could these missed chances have changed the course of the innings? Muneeba eventually fell to 41 off 35 and India got lucky this time.

But what happens when such chances come against elite hitters like Laura Wolvaardt or world number one Georgia Voll? Will India be able to afford similar mistakes or will they be severely punished?

The win against Pakistan was a solid start, with a net rate of 3.25, but it wasn’t as convincing as it looked. And with semi-final qualification still a long way off, India cannot afford anything less than their sharpest performance and better decision-making against Australia and South Africa.

– The end

Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

16 Jun 2026 07:23 IST