OPINION
Follow UsPlaying a world event comes with its own pros and cons. A team riddled with several weak links are as good as the battle-hardened world-beaters. There is only one good day and few situational sub-plots that need to go their way. There are individuals who find their rhythm and the entire group siphons that to put up an inspirational performance.
Indian women’s team at the Commonwealth Games were close to that in their first game against Australia at Edgbaston. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, their best batter in the past 10 games, led with an example with a half-century. Then a stunning opening spell of pace, swing and seam from Renuka Singh Thakur ripped through Australia’s top order. However, it was the situation that came after that went awry. Their main strike bowlers – Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav and Rajeshwari Gayakwad – failed to tighten the noose around the world champions and one superb innings from Ashleigh Gardner pushed them over the cliff.
In the second game against Pakistan, it was an uneven battleground. Smriti Mandhana didn’t break a sweat in her 42-ball 63 as India chased down a target of 100 with 38 balls left. They had an opposition who didn’t have the resources or the form to snatch away the control.
But against Barbados, they needed awareness and calmness to take over tight situations. Barbados are representing West Indies, but are short of being the strong Caribbean side that bamboozled stronger opponents at the 2022 ODI World Cup. They had the same opening pair in Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin, while Kycia Knight, Shakera Selman and Shamilia Connell have ample experience and the know-how to win matches at the elite level. In a way, India and Barbados were evenly matched with their own flaws.
After being put in to bat, India struggled both against the known experience of facing Matthews, Connell and Selman as well as the lesser-known Shanika Bruce. The ball did strange things when tossed up and Mandhana, Harmanpreet and Taniya Bhatia were caught off-guard. Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma understood the assignment better. They kept shuffling in the crease until they knew where the ball would land and then decided on their shots. Verma, for all her ingenuity with spontaneous placement, threw her wicket away.
It was up to Rodrigues, who put all her experience from The Hundred’s inaugural season to the best use. She had not played a match at Edgbaston in that tournament, but knew what could be done of the surface and the conditions. Ever since missing the 2022 World Cup, there was a sense that a big innings was coming; India were only hoping for it come at the right time. Barbados did not have the sting with the old ball and India added 70 runs in the final seven overs to reach 162/4.
“I was blessed that I got to play for the Northern Superchargers. I had a good season there, and I just wanted to continue that because the more I play, the better I do and the more I learn. I just want to apply that whenever I play for India,” said Rodrigues, who finished as the highest run scorer with 249 runs from seven innings for the Superchargers.
Defending a sizeable target, India knew pitfalls well after what happened against Australia. And before them stood two big challenges in Dottin and Matthews. In their last face off at the 2022 World Cup, the opening pair raced away to 100 runs in just 12 overs while chasing 318. Dottin, just two days after announcing her West Indies retirement, looked to extend her swansong with Barbados. Renuka Singh Thakur, after a good game against Pakistan, needed to replicate her heroics from the opening game. She did with assuming ease.
The two four-wicket hauls against Sri Lanka and Australia no longer feel like a blip. She had immaculate control over her lengths and knew exactly what to do with the new ball. After two dot balls, Dottin lunged forward, but the ball snuck between her bat and pad to rattle the stumps. That set the tone for the powerplay. Barbados batters knew where Thakur’s ball would land. But once it landed, there was no clue what would happen next.
Matthews didn’t have enough pace to clear the circle, Kycia Knight and Aaliyah Alleyne were dumbstruck by the seam movement that took off their stumps. Previously with Jhulan Goswami, India had one strike bowler with the new ball and in case it wouldn’t work there were spinners to wrest back the momentum. In the post-Jhulan Goswami era, they now have the assurance of Thakur to get the most prized wickets.
Despite another four-wicket burst from the young pacer, India needed their spinners to put the squeeze on Barbados. That is where the lack of depth in the opposition batting helped them. Barbados do have a capable line-up, but they haven’t played as a unit until the Birmingham Games. The risk-taking from the Caribbean batters became less and less prominent and Indian spinners were happy to forego the satisfaction of an all out.
In big tournaments, it is better to make mistakes, suffer a humbling than peaking early and falling flat in eliminators. Call it a blessing in disguise for India, they got Australia for the opening clash and have learned their lesson. Rajeshwari Gayakwad was dropped from the XI after an expensive first game. Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana and Radha Yadav are the designated spin attack reliant on Thakur’s magical opening spells. Either one of the opening batters have stepped up in all three games while there were solid performances from at least two in the middle-order.
With their combinations set and confidence high, India now have two shots at winning a medal and plenty of inspiration around the Games Village to achieve the glory.
