Pragmatic India in for stern test against gutsy West Indies

West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor is not a fan of close finishes. She does feel that her team was short by few runs in the last match against England and was unsure who would bowl the final over against New Zealand in the 2022 Women’s World Cup opener. But the Windies skipper has backed her excellent instincts and determined players who are full of self belief. She handed Deandra Dottin her first over the match against the White Ferns and she saved six runs from the final over. Anisa Mohammed shouldered the responsibility in the second match against England when they needed nine runs from three overs. Both times, West Indies ended on the winning side.

When they batted first in the two matches, they had everyone chipping in with vital contributions. Hayley Matthews lit up the tournament with a brilliant 119 while Shemaine Campbell’s 66 was gold dust against England after losing three wickets in a heap. Chedean Nation, with scores of 36 and 49 not out, has kept the engine room running with big partnerships that saved both innings.

Their Saturday’s opponents India share the similarity of top-order collapses, but nowhere close to defending or chasing with the same confidence. Their top-order has been struggling for quite a while and it stuck out like a sore thumb against New Zealand losing half their side before 100 runs while chasing 261.

Its a multi-layered problem which has allowed oppositions to back them into a corner despite having a tall batting order. They did well against a less-acclimatized Pakistan in the opening game, but against the White Ferns, they managed just three boundaries in the first 20 overs and lost three top-order wickets. Their timid batting approach made it difficult for them to find gaps within the field, failing to convert ones into twos despite hitting the ball to the longest part of the ground. In fact, a total of 120 off their 198 runs have come from singles, twos and threes. 

Top scorer in the match Harmanpreet Kaur initially looked cautious, but in the 43rd over against Jess Kerr, the Indian vice-captain looked like herself again smacking two sixes and two fours. It was a strange approach to a high-stakes chase against a quality opposition. Either it was a conscious decision or the orders came from the dug out, it was evident that Kaur’s flourish should’ve come at an earlier stage to shake up New Zealand’s plans.

Another big question lingers over the batting order of the team which still seems to be in developmental stage. Teenage opener Shafali Verma was dropped and Yastika Bhatia, who usually bats at No.3, was promoted to the opening role. Despite having a fifty to her name from eight ODIs, Bhatia does not have the strike rate (47.3) to exploit the fielding restrictions in the first ten overs.

Batting coach Shiv Sunder Das has hinted at a change in the batting order, but it looks as if Verma could be in for some more time on the bench.

“She (Shafali) has got a fair chance in 7-8 games. We needed to give her a break. She's a really talented batter. Hope she gets going in this break and come back stronger,” he said after the New Zealand loss.

However, India have their bowlers in good touch ahead of the West Indies tie. They managed to pick up five wickets at the death against New Zealand. They have also found a good option in the lower-middle order with Pooja Vastrakar adding more value to her role as a fast-bowling allrounder. Jhulan Goswami has been as reliable as ever, bowling miserly spells, her deliveries snapping at batters and demanding more from herself and her teammates when things go awry.

West Indies, meanwhile, will go into the tie brimming with confidence and knowing very well that they can change the course of the match at any moment. They had dropped five catches against New Zealand, but Chinelle Henry made sure she gobbled up the most important ones of Sophie Devine and Jess Kerr at the death. In Deandra Dottin, they have a genuine allrounder who might not have stats on her side so far, but can conjure up jaw-dropping moments like the flying catch to dismiss Lauren Winfield-Hill few days ago.

India will go into the game knowing that they have a win percentage of 80 in ODIs against West Indies and have beaten them soundly in the 2017 World Cup. West Indies, despite a pale record, are well aware of India’s weaknesses and will look to continue their habit of winning the key moments of every match.