It was a sign of things to come, that at the halfway mark against Australia, even 330 didn't feel like enough for India. The World Cup hosts are not giving themselves the best chance to succeed, writes Rahul Iyer.
Five bowlers or six for India? Maybe it doesn't matter
Much of the focus on India’s side at the World Cup has been on the one significant choice they have made; going in with five bowling options. India play five ‘proper’ batters, plus wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh, followed by all-rounders Amanjot Kaur, Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana, and two specialist bowlers.
This, of course, is not the only way they can structure their side. One of the batters could be sacrificed for a bowling all-rounder (Radha Yadav/Arundhati Reddy) or a bowler (Renuka Singh Thakur), giving India six options with the ball and batting till No.8. As it stands, they have five options, and bat till No.9.
This may not have been such a cause for concern if one of their top five bowled regularly. But captain Harmanpreet Kaur, the closest one in that set to a part-time bowler, bowled only 26 overs in 34 matches between the last World Cup and this one.
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Opener Pratika Rawal also bowls part-time off-spin, but does not seem to be a realistic option at this point of her career; in 20 matches, Rawal averages just about an over and a half per game.
The merits and demerits of each approach – and which one India should adopt – are up for debate. In fact, post-match, coach Amol Muzumdar said, “After this game, we'll sit down and have a look at it. I'm sure the team management will take a right call.”
But whichever strategy they employ, India need to maximise it, especially when it comes to games against other genuine contenders for the title. Australia are the prime ones, and India’s tendency to not do this was laid bare when the sides faced off on Sunday.
Batting depth is not just about depth – but flexibility
Part of the ‘bat deep’ plan is an attempt to mimic Australia, who often play with batting till No.10, and seven bowling options. Now, expecting to replicate this completely is unrealistic.
What India are essentially attempting to do is imitate one side of that, and bank on that aspect (in this case, the batting) outdoing their opponents’ by enough to mitigate the lack of cover in the other department.
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In the first innings at Visakhapatnam, India made full use of their batting resources, in the sense that every player had a go (i.e., they were bowled out). But when a team goes in with nine players that can bat, it can be argued that simply letting all of them have a go does not constitute an optimal use of resources.
Depth is one aspect, but playing this many batters gives a team flexibility in terms of the batting order that their opponents will rarely, if ever, be able to match. India have barely scratched the surface in this regard. Indeed, their experiments with batting positions have started and ended below No.5.
India’s 6-7-8 against Sri Lanka was Deepti Sharma-Richa Ghosh-Amanjot Kaur. Against Pakistan, it was Deepti-Sneh Rana-Ghosh (Amanjot was unfit for that game). Against South Africa, it was Deepti-Amanjot-Ghosh. Ghosh then came up to No.6 in the Australia game, with Amanjot at 7, and Deepti at 8.
“I don’t think much about my batting order. It doesn’t matter whether I come in early or late. Whatever opportunity I get, I try to make the most of it,” Ghosh said after she made 94 from No.8 in the South Africa game.
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So far, India’s shuffling with these three positions has appeared geared towards delaying her entry point, so she can go from ball one at the death. Their top five batters, however, appear to have their positions set in stone; Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal to open, Harleen Deol at three, with Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues at four and five.
But they could well be closing themselves off to more exciting and/or effective strategies.
India must be more open-minded with their batters
This was most glaring against Australia. Their top order came good for the first time in the tournament; Mandhana and Rawal put on 155 for the first wicket, a record in women’s ODIs against Australia. Their stand was broken in the 26th over of the innings.
Match 13, India Women vs Australia Women
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At 155-1, India had the chance to put their foot down, and inject some impetus into a phase of the ODI game that can somewhat drift along. Essentially, there was enough reason for them to deviate from their usual No.3 of Deol, who is a safe choice to shepherd the innings when India lose an opener earlier on.
To her credit, Deol started – and finished – quicker than she normally does, for 38 off 42. India ended up with 330 anyway, meaning Australia needed to complete a world-record chase. But on a flattish deck, with dew likely coming into play in the second innings, a fearsome batting unit against them, and only five bowlers, the prevailing feeling remained that India may well have left some runs on the table.
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Could Ghosh not come in, likely high on confidence from her previous knock? Incidentally, she came in at six down in the 26th over on that occasion. Could Amanjot have been promoted, as a low-value wicket to try sending the bowling helter-skelter? Could Rodrigues have come up, having worked in the nets on “going after the bowling from her first ball”, as she explained ahead of the South Africa game?
Post-match, Muzumdar did clarify that such moves were not really on the mind: “We have got a very settled batting lineup. We would not like to shuffle around too much. When the need arises, we are flexible about it. You've seen that we are flexible in the lower order. We do have that option in the lower order, but I would not like to tinker too much with the batting lineup.”
These may sound like only minor tweaks, but if there is any opposition against which India need to be weighing the minutiae down to this level, it is Australia. The result is another matter; either one can result in defeat. But it is hard to say that India are currently giving themselves the best chance of success with the method they have chosen.
Compromising on one suit is acceptable; after all, if the blanket covers your toes, it may not cover your face. But you better make sure it does the first bit, down to a T.
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