India went down for the second consecutive game in ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025. This time, they lost to Australia by 3 wickets with an over to spare. They had earlier lost to South Africa as well at the same venue in Vizag. They are not winning the tosses either. But having said that, they did a lot of things right against Australia, but there were few glaring errors which they did which came back to haunt them towards the end. We will list out three reasons for India’s loss to Australia.
Losing 6/36 in death overs to be bowled out for 330 pegged India back
India got off to a great start after being asked to bat first as the opening pair of Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana put on 155 for the first wicket. That really laid the platform for India to post a big total. While they did get over 300, they needed more against Australia’s deep batting line-up and dew factor. They suffered two collapses, but the second one was a major one. There was a mini collapse in overs 31-40, but India recovered to get to 294/4 in 42.5 overs and a score of 350 looked well on course.
But that is where the tables turned as Richa Ghosh fell at the end of the 43rd over. Her wicket started the collapse as India lost wickets in clusters. Jemimah Rodrigues was the next one to go and she was followed by Deepti Sharma, and Amanjot Kaur before the two bowlers were cleaned up as well by Annabel Sutherland.
Credit goes to Annabel Sutherland for bowling well and bringing Australia back in the game as India were bowled out for 330 from 294/4 and they did not bat for 7 balls batting on 48.5 overs. The momentum was with Australia at the break and they never looked back.
If you have to beat Australia, you have to play well in all facets of the game to come out on top as they are a champion team. India faltered at the death and left about 20 odd runs out there which proved to be the difference in the end. Although 330 was a huge score on the board and Australia achieved the record run chase, it could have been a lot better for India. The lower middle order needs to contribute more and drive home the advantage if India are to bounce back in this tournament.
Conceding 82/0 while defending 330 put India on the back foot
India still had a formidable score on the board despite the collapse and would have hoped for a good start with the ball as wickets were key in the first powerplay to put Australia under pressure. But that did not happen by any means. The duo of Alyssa Healy and Phoebe Litchfield put on 85 for the first wicket but most importantly 82 in the first 10 overs to leave India gasping for breath. Alyssa Healy played the knock for the ages as she made 142, but Litchfield did her bit scoring a nice 40 off 39 balls.
The powerplay overs are crucial and it is here where Australia had a head start over India. India in their first powerplay also were 0 down but they had made a steady start of 58 runs. But the Aussies chasing this target were already 82/0 and ahead by 24 runs. Once, this was achieved, India were always playing catch-up with the ball and with them playing limited bowlers, the task became even more arduous. Yes, India did well in the middle overs towards the end to bounce back, but it was always fighting a losing battle as Australia had total control of the run rate and did not break a sweat.
Early wickets are key inside the powerplay, and India did not get that against Australia. The new ball pacers need to be more incisive and do much better with the ball in the coming games if India are to progress to the semi-finals. The road ahead looks very complicated and difficult for India, and if they keep dishing out this performance with the ball, India are destined to struggle in the latter part of the tournament.
Lack of 6th bowling option exposes and costs India
India had their moments against Australia and could have done better if they had more bowling resources. From the first game onwards, India is focussing on batting depth and compromising on bowlers. It means that India are left with only 5 bowling options. The issue is against weaker nations, one may get away with it, but against big teams and on flat decks, this strategy is a recipe for disaster.
Playing against Australia with 5 bowlers plus a reluctant bowler in Harmanpreet Kaur meant India could be handicapped if one of the main 5 bowlers have an off-day. And it proved to be a reality as not one but multiple bowlers had an off day on a flat deck. Amanjot Kaur may have picked up 2 wickets, but she is not your proper bowler. Kranti Gaud had a rare off day as well and wicketless and so did Sneh Rana who went for 85 in 10 overs. Only Charani and Deepti Sharma had a good day with ball in hand.
It is not that India do not have options on the bench. They have Renuka Singh Thakur sitting on the bench alongside Arundhati Reddy. Radha Yadav is a spin bowling option who is also warming the bench and only fields for India as a substitute fielder. We are not advocating for wholesale changes in the Indian team, but a sixth proper bowling option might have helped on this pitch. Most teams in the World Cup have six bowling options, but not hosts India.
Going forward, we would like to see India add an extra bowler especially on flat becks against quality opposition to bolster their bowling. In flat decks, India do not need an extra batter. An extra bowler like Renuka or Arundhati might do the job for India as the Women in Blue will be in must-win territory in the remaining games. The road ahead is steep for the Women in Blue.
What Lies Ahead
We are still in Visakhapatnam for Match 14 of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 where South Africa face-off against Bangladesh live at 3 PM IST on 13th October 2025. We are now in the halfway stage of the tournament and things will heat up now. South Africa will start as favourites. Can Bangladesh upset the apple cards and secure a monumental upset?
Only time will tell as we get set for the 14th match of the World Cup to happen soon between two good teams and hope the rain stays away as well.
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