The honeymoon of the Women’s World T20 in India is over, the real test begins right now

India have made a dream start to their Women’s T20 World Cup campaign and are showing few mistakes so far. They opened with a commanding win over Pakistan before getting past the Netherlands, climbing to the top of Group A in the process, sweeping past Australia at a clean pace.

But despite two wins from two, India are still a long way from sealing a semi-final berth. There are three group stage matches left and the road ahead is significantly tougher. India will next face South Africa before wrapping up their league phase against Australia in what could prove to be a crucial match.

With India, Australia and South Africa widely seen as the strongest contenders for the top four, every remaining result in Group A carries added weight. From India’s point of view, to keep ahead of Australia on net run rate may prove crucial as the qualifying picture begins to take shape.

INDIA NEEDS TO BE CAREFUL

India will be brimming with confidence after settling atop the points table, but they cannot afford a moment of complacency. Their next challenge comes against South Africa on June 20.

It was only two months ago that Laura Wolvaardt and her team handed India a 4-1 defeat in a bilateral series at home, exposing key gaps in their game. A further concern for India will be that South Africa were not at full strength then, with the likes of Marizanne Kapp, Dane van Niekerk and Shabnim Ismail missing. Their return only makes the upcoming contest even more formidable.

Interestingly, India and South Africa are yet to meet in the Women’s T20 World Cup, which adds another layer of intrigue to this encounter. The two sides shared a riveting rivalry at last year’s ODI World Cup where Nadine de Klerk played in the league stage before India struck back with a win in the final.

With both teams eager to assert dominance, there will be no shortage of intensity. India know that one off day could quickly undo all the momentum built up from wins over Pakistan and the Netherlands.

SHREYANKA CONUNDRUM

In the match against South Africa, India suffered a major setback. Shreyanka Patil, who has been in excellent form since the T20I series against Australia where she was named the Player of the Series in the decider, may be unavailable for the rest of the tournament.

against the Netherlands, Shreyanka suffered a freak leg injury this required her to be carried off the field. The severity of the injury has raised serious doubts over her availability for the upcoming matches, with a longer layoff possible.

Her absence would be a big blow for India, especially given her brilliant performances against South Africa earlier this year. In her place, India may turn to Radha Yadav as a spin option, while Renuka Singh, who has not featured in the tournament so far, is also available.

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Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

18 Jun 2026 08:21 IST