Doubts over Harmanpreet Kaur’s availability, a middle-order muddle and sloppy fielding have left India with plenty to ponder ahead of its series-deciding women’s T20I fixture against West Indies.
Despite starting the three-match series on a winning note, the Women in Blue lost the plot in the second fixture, allowing the visiting team to draw level.
With heavy dew settling in, none of the Indian bowlers could pose any threat as Hayley Matthews and Qiana Joseph went on a rampage.
In the last couple of games at the DY Patil Stadium, the toss has been a factor, and with hardly any turnaround time, the home team needs to regroup and fix the weak links.
While it has been a remarkable outing so far for stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana, with a couple of fifty-plus scores, the middle-order has been inconsistent, and Harmanpreet’s absence has only made matters worse.
In the last game, India elevated the seasoned Deepti Sharma to ‘provide a cushion’ to the young and inexperienced batters like Raghvi Bist, but Deepti failed to make an impact. Things would have gone haywire for India had Richa Ghosh not come up with a quick cameo, and in the series-decider on Thursday, India needs to be more proactive with power-hitting.
Young medium fast bowler Titas Sadhu had an impressive start to the series, however, her confidence took a beating in the second game as Matthews and Joseph sent her all over the park.
West Indies will come into the game high on confidence and as captain Matthews said, “It would mean a lot to the group if we were able to win this series.”
She once again needs to lead from the front and hope that the seasoned Deandra Dottin continues to impress with her all-round performance.