India’s No. 4 and No. 5 batsmen, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues, have amassed 136 runs in 8 innings between them so far at the ICC Women’s World Cup, with an average of 17.00 and a strike rate of 86.62. They have yet to achieve a fifty-plus. Entering the competition as one of the contenders for Australia’s crown, these are just not strong enough figures for a team hoping to push for the elusive worldwide title.
In a tournament where middle and lower-middle order contributions have been game-changing, even a faltering New Zealand team has better numbers for these two vital spots in any batting order. Brooke Halliday and Sophie Devine, who is leading from the front in her final ODI World Cup, have scored 402 runs between them in just three games. Bangladesh also outperformed India at these batting positions on Monday in Visakhapatnam. Two of India’s key batsmen have disappointed them thus far, and although lower-order contributions kept them afloat in the first two games, the batting lineup’s lack of runs has been a major factor in the team’s back-to-back losses to Australia and South Africa.
India’s top four women’s ODI run scorers in the two years prior to this World Cup were Jemimah, Harmanpreet, Pratika Rawal, and Smriti Mandhana, who finished far ahead of the others with 1,709 runs. The four were supposed to carry out the most of the work for India’s batting, which is their strongest suit. Mandhana and Rawal performed well against Australia, but the other two have not yet shown up for the celebration.
On Sunday, during the India vs. Australia match, there was a flashback to 2017. Harmanpreet tapped the ball to the cover area in the 35th over, which was bowled by Megan Schutt, and then quickly singled. Harleen Deol at the non-striker’s end wasn’t in the mood to sprint, even though she was halfway down the field. To make sure she wasn’t run out, Harmanpreet had to apply the brakes, turn around, and dive. She got to her feet and listened to Harleen. She made sure Harleen understood that she was upset at the lack of reaction. The events in Derby during the 2017 edition, when Deepti Sharma was the victim, were completely unexpected. When Deepti hesitated, Harmanpreet, who was then batting at 98, was eager to run a double. Harmanpreet was furious that the latter had to perform a full-stretch dive; she flung her helmet down in protest and spoke to Deepti about what she saw as her lack of game awareness.
In the semifinal match versus Australia that day, Harmanpreet added 71 more points to finish undefeated at 171*. Harmanpreet promptly cleared her front foot and vented some of her wrath on the ball by hitting a four over mid-off on Sunday in Visakhapatnam. The next ball was another boundary, this time with a more deliberate late cut. Even though it was just the beginning of her innings, Harmanpreet seemed to be letting her inner Derby spirit out. Unfortunately, it was only a fleeting flashback for India and her. She walked out to the middle and appeared to be in the mood for the fourth time in this World Cup, but she was unable to convert another start.
Dismissals have also been handled gently. A late cut against Sri Lanka was directed into the keeper’s gloves. She prodded one down the leg side against Pakistan and was caught behind once more. She was caught offside within the ring in the next two bouts. Another source of annoyance is the fact that she left with the intention of scoring but failed to convert the starts.
