CWG 2022: Real challenge begins for Harmanpreet Kaur & Co as India enters round two

Express News Service

CHENNAI: When India lost to Australia in their opening game of the Commonwealth Games campaign, after reducing them to 49/5 in a chase of 155, it was more a reflection of how good a team the latter is. The gap between Australia and others in terms of quality, depth, role clarity and handling pressure was there to see on that day and it has continued since as well, with them winning all the matches in Group A.

Meanwhile, India beat Pakistan and Barbados to become the second team from the group to qualify for the semifinals. They did that comfortably as well. There were quite a few positives for the Indian side led by Harmanpreet Kaur in the tournament so far. The first and foremost among them would be their intent with the bat. In all three games, irrespective of the conditions and scoreboard, the Indian top-order has tried to ta­ke the attack to the opponents.

If it was Harmanpreet aga­inst Australia, Shafali and Smriti ensured there was no conte­st between them and the Pakistan bowling attack. When they were put under pressure in a must-win game against Barbados on Wednesday, Jemimah Rodrigues (46-ball 56 n.o) and Deepti Sharma (28-ball 34 n.o) stepped up with the bat, taking them from 92/4 to 162/4.

In the bowling department, after warming the benches through the World Cup Renuka Singh Thakur has stepped up big time as the pacer from Rohru is the leading wicket-taker in the event. Spinners Deepti and Sneh Rana are doing their roles to perfection, and India has also used Harmanpreet and Shafali with the ball, something the skipper had stressed since she took over as all-format captain. They are throwing themselves around the field, taking catches, running between the wickets well, and not letting their opponents hold control for longer periods in both departments.

That said, they have their share of issues as well. For starters, it seems like they still haven’t figured out their best T20 XI yet. Yastika Bhatia was dropped after two matches for Taniya Bhatia, who would ess­e­n­tially be playing a floater role based on match situations. Jemimah was batting at No 5 before being promoted to No 3, and Rajeshwari Gayakwad was left out after two bad overs.

More importantly, the real challenge begins here as they would be up against tougher opponents, something they struggled with during the ODI World Cup as well. Prior to the tournament, Harmanpreet said that they had a ‘players only’ meeting, trying to be transparent on the areas of improvement. While they have shown a lot of it on the field, over the next three days, India would have to be at their best through the course of 40 overs to be able to achieve their goal — the gold medal. For in the past, they have fallen short by millimetres when it mattered the most.  

Brief scores: India 162/4 (Jemimah 56 n.o, Deepti 34 n.o) bt Barbados 62/8 in 20 overs (Renuka 4/10).

<br /> CHENNAI: When India lost to Australia in their opening game of the Commonwealth Games campaign, after reducing them to 49/5 in a chase of 155, it was more a reflection of how good a team the latter is. The gap between Australia and others in terms of quality, depth, role clarity and handling pressure was there to see on that day and it has continued since as well, with them winning all the matches in Group A.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.81 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.81 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Meanwhile, India beat Pakistan and Barbados to become the second team from the group to qualify for the semifinals. They did that comfortably as well. There were quite a few positives for the Indian side led by Harmanpreet Kaur in the tournament so far. The first and foremost among them would be their intent with the bat. In all three games, irrespective of the conditions and scoreboard, the Indian top-order has tried to ta­ke the attack to the opponents.</p> <p>If it was Harmanpreet aga­inst Australia, Shafali and Smriti ensured there was no conte­st between them and the Pakistan bowling attack. When they were put under pressure in a must-win game against Barbados on Wednesday, Jemimah Rodrigues (46-ball 56 n.o) and Deepti Sharma (28-ball 34 n.o) stepped up with the bat, taking them from 92/4 to 162/4.</p> <p>In the bowling department, after warming the benches through the World Cup Renuka Singh Thakur has stepped up big time as the pacer from Rohru is the leading wicket-taker in the event. Spinners Deepti and Sneh Rana are doing their roles to perfection, and India has also used Harmanpreet and Shafali with the ball, something the skipper had stressed since she took over as all-format captain. They are throwing themselves around the field, taking catches, running between the wickets well, and not letting their opponents hold control for longer periods in both departments.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.81 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad200503 " id="quads-ad200503" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.81 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="1823845571"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>That said, they have their share of issues as well. For starters, it seems like they still haven’t figured out their best T20 XI yet. Yastika Bhatia was dropped after two matches for Taniya Bhatia, who would ess­e­n­tially be playing a floater role based on match situations. Jemimah was batting at No 5 before being promoted to No 3, and Rajeshwari Gayakwad was left out after two bad overs.</p> <p>More importantly, the real challenge begins here as they would be up against tougher opponents, something they struggled with during the ODI World Cup as well. Prior to the tournament, Harmanpreet said that they had a ‘players only’ meeting, trying to be transparent on the areas of improvement. While they have shown a lot of it on the field, over the next three days, India would have to be at their best through the course of 40 overs to be able to achieve their goal — the gold medal. For in the past, they have fallen short by millimetres when it mattered the most.  </p> <p>Brief scores: India 162/4 (Jemimah 56 n.o, Deepti 34 n.o) bt Barbados 62/8 in 20 overs (Renuka 4/10).<br />