Women's T20 World Cup 2024: Middle overs strategy under scrutiny post-defeat, coach Muzumdar laments missed fielding chances

Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur wears a dejected look after India’s defeat to Australia on Sunday. Pics/Getty images

Your destiny should generally be in your hands. And if you can't achieve your goal, you can't expect others to do it for you. That was India's plight after losing their Women's T20 World Cup match against Australia on Sunday as they were left hoping for a miracle from Pakistan against New Zealand. Ironically, had India won, they would've still had to wait for the outcome of the New Zealand v Pakistan game to know if they qualified for the semis, but at least then they would've had a marginally better chance of progressing. Could India have done something different against Australia? Did the decision to play with a batter short prove costly?

Dropping Sajeevan backfired?

The team management decided to drop hard-hitting batter Sajana Sajeevan and include a fit-again pace bowler Pooja Vastrakar. That left India with six frontline bowlers, with only Deepti Sharma being a capable batter among them. The move gave India a longer tail. After Deepti's (29 off 25) dismissal, a big-hitter like Sajana was needed to support skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (54 not out off 47), who almost single-handedly battled to keep her team in the hunt until the final over.

Amol Muzumdar

After the defeat, the skipper hit the nail on the head when she said that Deepti and she could have been a bit more aggressive in the middle overs. "Despite the conditions, I think we did really well. We knew this was a difficult tournament. The only thing is, when Deepti and I were batting, we did not utilise a few loose balls. We could have controlled [collected a few] the boundaries. I think we were still in the game [till the final over], but then again, as we know, the Australians are experienced and they know how to win such close games. This is what we have to learn from them," said Harmanpreet.

Coach disappointed

India head coach Amol Muzumdar rued the team's missed opportunities in the field. "We were right in the game till the last over. The experience of Australia saw them through. [We are] a little disappointed. We fielded pretty well, but a couple of chances could have been [taken]. Had we taken those, it could have made a difference," Muzumdar said at the post-match press conference.

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He also felt that had the target been slightly lesser, his team would have had a better chance of winning. "Maybe 10-15 runs less [would have been ideal for us]. Even in the last over, [we could have played better]. At the same time, I would like to say that we put in our best effort in this game," he added.

Sutherland knew her plan in the final over: McGrath

Annabel Sutherland

India needed 14 runs off the final over to get a remarkable win over Australia, but pacer Annabel Sutherland had other ideas. Annabel picked two wickets while conceding three runs to help Australia get a nine-run win. "She's so composed. She knew her plan, she executed beautifully. I said to her after, ‘how was your heart rate?' and she goes, ‘no I was fine, I was chill as' so I think that just shows the type of maturity that Belsey has," stand-in skipper Tahlia McGrath said.

India's slip-ups in the field

Ghosh misses a stumping

On the fourth ball of the very first over of the match, bowled by Renuka Singh, Australia opener Grace Harris survived a stumping opportunity after India wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh failed to collect the ball. Australia were 5-0 at the time. Harris went on to score 40 off 41 balls.

Deepti drops Harris

Harris got another lifeline in the ninth over, when she was dropped by Deepti Sharma at the backward point off Arundhati Reddy. Deepti got down late and got both hands on the ball but couldn't hang on. Harris was on 24 while Australia were 55-2.

Skipper Harmanpreet spills it

Australia's stand-in skipper Tahlia McGrath was handed a lifeline by India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who dropped a sitter at extra-cover off Radha Yadav in the 12th over. McGrath was on 31 and Australia on 77-2. She was dismissed two balls later, courtesy a stumping by Ghosh.

Harmanpreet drops one more

Phoebe Litchfield was dropped by a diving Harmanpreet at a full stretch in the penultimate over when she was on eight and Australia, 133-5. Litchfield went on to hammer a last-ball six to take the Aussie total beyond the 150-run mark.

India's hopes end as Pak lose to NZ

India's hopes of reaching the Women's T20 World Cup semi-finals ended after New Zealand beat Pakistan by 54 runs in their final Group A league match here on Monday. Chasing 111, Pakistan were bundled out for just 56 in 11.4 overs. All-rounder Amelia Kerr claimed 3-14. The victory took New Zealand to second place with three wins, while India ended third with two wins from four matches. Earlier, opener Suzie Bates top scored (28 off 29) as NZ posted 110-6 in their 20 overs.