Hosts India suffered a crushing 43-run loss at the hands of the reigning champions Australia as the Aussies bounced back from disappointment in the second game to win the decider in Delhi. In what was a high scoring game on a belter of a pitch, India conceded 412 and in reply fought bravely to come to 369. But it was always a bridge too far for the Indians after the first half despite the best efforts from the batters. India had loads of gaping holes in the field as we will list three reasons why India came second best in Delhi.
Whole bowling failed and were listless against rampaging Australia on a flat wicket
The bowling as a whole failed as a unit will be an understatement. After losing the toss, India bowled horribly and yes it was a flat deck and small outfield at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. But they needed to bowl a lot better than they dished out and the bowling figures will suggest that. There was no consistent lines and lengths as Australia came out all guns blazing and were on a mission to do well today. There was no stopping them.
Kranti Goud conceded 56 runs in 6 overs. Renuka Singh Thakur conceded 79 in 9 overs. Arundhati Reddy may have picked 3 wickets but conceded 86 runs in 8.5 overs. Deepti Sharma was better off considering the situation as she finished with 75 in 10 overs. Sneh Rana was the most impressive economy wise as she gave away 68 runs in 10 overs. Radha Yadav’s 4 overs went for 48 runs. Yes, India did well in the last 10 overs as Australia were 339/3 in 40 overs and looking good to get 450 at one stage. A flurry of wickets from India kept them down to 412 but that is huge in any ODI game.
Going forward, for India to do well on flat pitches as that might be the norm in the World Cup, they need to come up with better plans and execute them better. This kind of bowling is simply not acceptable at the highest level even if we consider that the pitch was docile and belter. Better planning will help India contain the runs even more. Let’s hope India Women learns from this experience and come back better in the World Cup. That will be the hope from all Indian fans.
Ground fielding and dropped catches hurt India badly
India had a day to forget with the ball and in the field to say the least after losing the toss. Yes, the conditions were tough to field on and we all agree with that. But this fielding performance is not the first time that India did badly. They did so in the previous two games as well. There were too many lapses in the field and ground fielding was poor as misfielding allowed boundaries to be given away.
Fielding and catching are the basics of the game and something that is within your control. There is a saying that what is under your control you need to do that well. India have been shoddy on the field and in the first two games it was more about catches being dropped. But in this game, the ground fielding was poor and catching was not upto the mark either. So, all in all, a bad day in the field for India that really put them in the back foot. ‘
This is a serious concern for India and one that India must fix in order to do well in multi-nation events. If they fail to do so and continue to drop catches, then against big teams and in big matches they will suffer a lot. They need to find ways to improve their fielding and in the next 10 days or so must regroup and come back stronger. Fielding is an essential department in which India must not fall far behind.
Losing wickets in clusters between overs 21-30 hurt India
Despite conceding 412, India came out all guns blazing through their vice-captain Smriti Mandhana who dazzled under the Delhi lights as she scored a magnificent 125 off 63 balls and was ably supported by Harmanpreet Kaur who scored 52 off 35 balls. India lost Rawal and Deol inside the first powerplay, but the captain and vice-captain took the team ahead.
They played great shots and took India past 200 inside 20 overs and suddenly the impossible chase was on. India reached 206/2 in 20 overs when captain Harmanpreet Kaur took a medical time-out which caused a pause in play. That break allowed Australia to regroup and the world champions responded by removing Kaur immediately after the break. Then Mandhana was removed off a full toss and the game had changed. Richa Ghosh fell to an unfortunate run out while Radha Yadav too fell early as India lost 4 wickets in 9 overs to completely lose the momentum. Deepti Sharma played well for her 72 but it was a losing battle that she was battling.
In a big 400+ chase, every phase of the game is important and this phase between 21-30 turned out to be a game changing one for India from which the Women in Blue never really recovered. Deepti fought valiantly till the end, but like we mentioned India needed wickets in hand to challenge this total. A chase of 413 needs a perfect run chase and it always seemed to be out of India’s reach despite the best efforts as Australia were too good in the end.
So, with this the India Australia series came to an end and now both teams switch their focus to the Women’s ODI World Cup starting on 30th September 2025. Both teams will be prepared to do well in the marquee tournament.
Also Read:Â IND-W vs AUS-W: Australia Holds Their Nerve To Win A High Scoring Match In Delhi