7 months ago
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A rattled India request to beryllium tactically flexible and deliberation astir adding a sixth bowling enactment against reigning champions Australia to dependable their wavering Women’s World Cup run successful Visakhapatnam connected Sunday (October 12, 2025).
The three-wicket decision against South Africa on Thursday (October 9) exposed the limitations of sticking to the five-bowler template successful each conditions.
Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur turned to her part-time off-spin successful the lack of a sixth bowler, but erstwhile the Proteas targeted the pacers past the 40th over, the location broadside ran retired of ideas.
Kranti Gaud and Amanjot Kaur conceded 30 runs successful 12 balls crossed the 47th and 49th overs arsenic South Africa overhauled a 252-run target.
The existent Indian bowling line-up contains 2 right-arm pacers (Gaud, Kaur), 2 off-spinners (Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana) and a left-arm spinner (Sree Charani).
If the transportation astatine the ACA-VDCA stadium transportation holds true, the beardown Aussies batting portion tin enactment this alternatively unidimensional onslaught done the wringer with ease.
India volition necessitate a due sixth bowler to summon if a situation reoccurs, and Harmanpreet’s part-time rotation is thing much than cannon fodder against a squad similar Australia, who person accomplished hitters similar Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Ellyse Perry etc.
But enactment of the sixth bowler is not a straightforward prime either.
India’s bowling reserve
The hosts mightiness similar to adhd an other spinner, if they so determine so, due to the fact that Nadine de Klerk said South Africa had targeted Indian pacers arsenic spinners were capable to get immoderate acquisition disconnected the platform successful the past lucifer here.
They person a left-arm spinner successful seasoned Radha Yadav, who is besides a tenable lower-order batter.
One anticipation is to bring her successful spot of Rana, but Australia person 2 left-handers successful their line-up successful Beth Mooney, who made a 100 against Pakistan successful their erstwhile match, and opener Phoebe Litchfield.
So, India mightiness conscionable similar to support the off-spinners with them arsenic they tin instrumentality the shot distant from left-handers. India tin bring successful pacer Arundhati Reddy, perchance for Amanjot, but that again volition rob them of immoderate late-order batting solidity which has helped them much than erstwhile successful this event, India tin besides ponder implicit replacing Harleen Deol with Yadav but that volition effect successful the erosion of sizeable spot from an already malfunctioning top-order.
Worries astatine the apical
Indian top-order batters’ struggles person go a recurring taxable successful this ODI showpiece. They were perilously adjacent to a full shutdown against Sri Lanka and Pakistan earlier precocious bid batters did the firefighting.
It turned into a world against South Africa, and Australia, who person a varied and skillful attack, volition punish specified lapses rather mercilessly.
Heftier contributions from Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet and Jemimah Rodrigues is non-negotiable against the seven-time winners.
Mandhana, successful particular, volition person to rise her crippled to the pre-World Cup level — a signifier erstwhile she made 928 runs from 14 innings astatine an mean of 66.
Her feeble tally astatine the apical — 54 runs from 3 matches astatine 18 — has severely wounded the squad successful this tournament.
However, determination is simply a comforting factor. Australia is 1 of her favourite opponents, stacking up 916 runs astatine 48.21 with 4 hundreds successful ODIs.
India volition beryllium hoping that the graceful left-hander volition unleash her magic erstwhile much to debar slipping into an undesired choky abstraction up of arsenic pugnacious upcoming assignments against England and New Zealand.
Teams: India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Uma Chetry, Renuka Singh Thakur, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud.
Australia: Alyssa Healy (c), Darcie Brown, Ash Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham.
Match starts astatine 3 pm.
