ANALYSIS
Follow UsThe fourth ball of the penultimate over, as Anya Shrubsole bowled a well-directed yorker to rattle the stumps of Rajeshwari Gayakwad, a billion Indian hearts shattered into pieces.
In the biggest game of their career, the Women in Blue crumbled under pressure and fell agonisingly short by nine runs in the summit clash at the Home of Cricket.
Despite the whole of India being in an absolute disbelief post the completion of the game, the fans flooded the airport when the team arrived to give them a rousing reception for their breakthrough run in the world event.
Mithali Raj, in a pre-departure press conference, revealed the impact a world title would have in India. While they did not cross the final hurdle, their journey through the tournament indeed created a revolution, with millions of young kids taking up the sport.
Over four years to this bitter-sweet event, the Women in Blue will set foot at the Bay Oval against arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening match on Sunday 6th March to kick start their incomplete mission.
And as they gear up for their biggest test in the land of the Kiwis across a month of riveting action, we at cricket.com help you with the detailed analysis of the squad for the upcoming tournament.
Strength
Over the past couple of years, batting has been India's strength, with the likes of Smriti Mandhana, Mithali and Harmanpreet Kaur shouldering the bulk of the responsibility of the side in the white-ball formats.
While the vice-captain was struggling for runs in the last couple of series, Smriti and Mithali consistently scored runs to help the Indian side post a massive total or inch closer to the target in a run chase.
The southpaw is fourth on the list of leading run-scorers since the 2017 World Cup and amassed 1528 runs in 32 innings at an average of 54.57, followed by the skipper on number six with 1433 runs in 37 innings at an average of 53.07.
While the onus of the side relies heavily on the duo, the team management would also be mighty pleased with the performance of Harmanpreet in the lead up to the iconic event. The 32-year old scored a match-defining half-century in the final match against the White Ferns and a well-compiled century in the warm-up game against South Africa.
Weakness
While the batting has bailed India out on numerous occasions, the below-par outings of the spinners in the last couple of years will be an area of concern for the team management.
Over the last decade, the spinners have been India's strength, and Mithali has often used the likes of Poonam Yadav and Rajeshwari Gayakwad as her trump card to create inroads in the opposition batting unit.
However, since the 2017 World Cup, India's spin prowess has been on a decline as the Women in Blue managed to scalp 48 wickets in 36 innings at balls per wicket ratio of 42.8, the worst among the top eight nations.
Opportunity
Amidst the pandemic and some lukewarm performances from the team in the 2021 season, the selectors opted for a plethora of changes to the side ahead of the series against England and Australia.
They drafted Yastika Bhatia at number three, and Richa Ghosh was handed the gloves in place of Taniya Bhatia. Ever since their debut in the fifty-over format, the duo have been consistent with their performances, and this World Cup will provide them with an ideal opportunity to showcase their talent and help India script history in the southern hemisphere.
Threat
While the Indian team have a balanced squad with all bases covered, they would want to improve their performance in the field.
The Women in Blue have dropped 56 catches since the 2017 quadrennial event and have a catching efficiency of 71.6, the worst among the top eight nations.
With the wickets conducive for batting, the players ought to support their bowlers in the field, and India would hope they put on a better show in this department.
Squad:
Mithali Raj (c), Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Jhulan Goswami, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh Thakur, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav
Fixtures:
March 6 vs Pakistan
March 10 vs New Zealand
March 12 vs West Indies
March 16 vs England
March 19 vs Australia
March 22 vs Bangladesh
March 28 vs South Africa
