No batting remedy in sight

Whatever pretensions Indian women had of having overcome their tendency to crack under pressure against strong opponents lay shattered after their demoralising T20I series loss 1-2 at home by England.

India, however, did not put a foot wrong in the third and final T20I on Sunday but came unstuck chasing modest targets in the first two matches of the limited-overs series. Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. were expected to struggle against England's potent and varied spin attack but they faced an even bigger problem in the form of their own batting vulnerabilities. While their bowling unit has found a way to be competitive, their batting frailties show no sign of abating.

On a belter of a track, they were haunted by two of their familiar failings on home turf against England: their batters' inability to go past 30 and their struggles against spin.

They had only themselves to blame as England smoothly bounced back from 2-2 in the opening game to build a 138-run stand from only 87 balls, thanks to India's sloppy fielding and poor execution by bowlers. Final nail in the coffin was when they found the going extremely difficult once again on Saturday after the visitors cantered home in 11.2 overs to forge an unassailable 2-0 lead. On a day uncapped women cricketers earned fat pay-cheques in the Women's Premier League auction, Shafali Verma (0), Smriti Mandhana (10), skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (9), Deepti Sharma (0) cut a sorry figure as the the Blue brigade were bundled out for 80 in 16.2 overs.

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That all their top-four batters got out LBW showed their lack of application on a batting-friendly Wankhede wicket. This was India's third lowest total in women's T20Is behind 62 vs Australia in 2011 and 70 vs South Africa in 2019. An embarrassed India were, thus, in a race against time to find answers to their steady decline before they begin their one-off test against England on December 14.

In fact, Sunday's contest may have been a dead rubber at the end of what was a three-match series, but a resolute India scrapped hard in the field to secure a consolation win at any cost. "The first two matches didn't go the way we wanted. We knew that this win would be important going into the Test despite losing the series. Yes, back-to-back games are a little tough on the body," said Smriti Mandhana in the post-match presentation, whose rich vein of form glossed over some of India's batting vulnerability which the English attack so cruelly exposed.

This win was their first in the last five matches, having last beaten England in September 2022, by eight wickets, at Derby. In all seriousness, England did play a second string team, resting four of their star performers. "We have improved as a team, we always needed game time and our team showed today that we'll keep improving with every game. It was important to hang in there and do what was required for the team. Some balls were turning and some were going straight off the spinners so there's always a doubt in your mind as a batter," said Harmanpreet.

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Besides, this was also India's first win at home against England since March 2018, after five consecutive losses in the shortest format. Overall, surprisingly enough, it is only the eighth time that India have defeated England in 31 T20Is.

As Bangladesh is scheduled to host the Women's T20 World Cup 2024, slower deliveries are expected to play a prominent role. Four-time champions England will be content to see their spin unit shaping up well for next year's cricket extravaganza which is in less than a year. India, meanwhile, still have a long way to go and a lot will depend on how they tackle spin on tricky Bangladeshi pitches.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mid-Day India.