Hamilton, Mar 11 (IANS): After a crushing 62-run defeat to hosts New Zealand, India's search for batting returns continues when they take on an undefeated West Indies in their third league match of ICC Women's Cricket World Cup at Seddon Park on Saturday. In both matches, India's top-order batting hasn't fired, resulting in lack of urgency in the first 10 overs.
Now at fifth place in the points table, India need to get their wrongs right with matches against defending champions England and six-time winners Australia coming in the upcoming week. But it is easier said that done as West Indies have been the surprise giant killers of the tournament, defeating New Zealand and England by three and seven runs respectively in their first two matches.
Against Pakistan, India were in tatters at 114/6 before Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar rescued them with a counter-attacking 122-run partnership. But against a spot-on New Zealand bowling attack, India were never in the hunt to chase 261 and despite Harmanpreet Kaur making 71 off 63 deliveries, India were eventually all out for 198. The number of dot balls played by India in both matches is also a worry and it means that strike rotation has to be brought more into play, which hasn't happened.
Such was the display of India's absolute lacklustre batting against New Zealand that it even left head coach Ramesh Powar 'surprised'. "It was one of those days when things didn't go our way. Honestly, I was also surprised by the way we batted in the first 20 overs. If you look back at the last six games which we played against New Zealand, we were executing our plans well. I think it is the pressure of the World Cup but I don't want to give any excuses," were Powar's words in the pre-match virtual press conference.
Smriti Mandhana hasn't been in her usual stroke-play self in both matches while it will be a toss-up between a struggling Shafali Verma and out of sorts Yastika Bhatia for being her partner. Deepti Sharma will have to get more runs at number three, so as captain Mithali Raj.
The decision to get an all-left top-order without being experimented before in international cricket didn't give the desired runs for India.
In the bowling department, there has been some cheer due to Pooja's pace and left-arm spin of Rajeshwari Gayakwad.
West Indies, on the other hand, have been on a roll in the World Cup. Defending scores of 259 and 225 to pull off nail-biting victories against New Zealand and England means the Stafanie Taylor-led side is riding high on confidence in all three departments of the game.
Hayley Matthews, Deandra Dottin, Shemaine Campbelle and Anisa Mohammed have been the major architects of the winning juggernaut for the West Indies.
Senior pacer Shakera Selman acknowledged the early winning wave but is aware of it being a fact of complacency for the West Indies. "But we're not getting carried away. We know that we're going to have to keep fighting, it is going to get harder -- our coaches have reminded us that we came into this world pretty much under the radar. No teams are going to be focusing on us, so we know it's going to get tougher."
With West Indies gearing themselves up for tougher challenges, the path to victory for India won't be easy. For that, they will need their batting to click in unison.
Squads
India: Mithali Raj (captain), Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicket-keeper), Sneh Rana, Jhulan Goswami, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh Thakur, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Poonam Yadav.
West Indies: Stafanie Taylor (captain), Anisa Mohammed (vice-captain), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle (wicket-keeper), Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Cherry Ann Fraser, Chinelle Henry, Kycia Knight, Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Shakera Selman and Rashada Williams.