India faced their second consecutive loss at the 2025 Women’s World Cup on Sunday (October 12). Here’s how they can still reach the semi-finals.
How has India’s Women's World Cup 2025 campaign been so far?
India started on a strong note with convincing wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan. However, their campaign stumbled after that.
Against South Africa, Richa Ghosh (94) did well to rescue them from 102-6, helping them post 251. But the rescue act proved futile as South Africa chased down the total with three wickets and seven overs remaining. India had at one point done well to reduce them to 81-5, but Nadine de Klerk’s blazing 84 from No. 8 helped South Africa cross the line.
Also read: India's batting depth is a strength - but Australia loss shows they are not using it right
The loss against Australia was perhaps more demoralising. Batting first, the home team posted 330, less than a month after scoring a record 369 in a preceding bilateral series. Australia’s chase was made easy by a 107-ball 142 from captain Alyssa Healy, as they pulled off the highest successful chase in women’s ODI history with three wickets and an over to spare. The previous record was 302, chased by Sri Lanka against South Africa in Potchefstroom last year.
In 52 years of women's ODI cricket, Smriti Mandhana goes where no one has before 🇮🇳#INDvAUS #Cricket pic.twitter.com/ZuqBnhBBU3
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) October 12, 2025
Who will India play next in the Women's World Cup 2025?
India have three more fixtures: against England on October 19, against New Zealand on October 23, and a final match against Bangladesh on October 26.
Of these three opponents, their record against Bangladesh is the most dominant, with six wins and a tie from eight matches. Against England, the win/loss ratio is 36/41, but India found recent success with a 2-1 win in an away series last July.
Against New Zealand, however, the record is the worst of the three: 22 wins, 34 defeats, and a tie. However, similar to the England series, India beat them 2-1 in their most recent encounter in October 2024.
Women's World Cup 2025 points table after Australia beat India
| Teams | Mat | Won | Lost | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | +1.353 |
| England | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | +1.864 |
| India | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | +0.682 |
| South Africa | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -0.888 |
| New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -0.245 |
| Bangladesh | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -0.357 |
| Sri Lanka | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | -1.255 |
| Pakistan | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -1.887 |
How can India still qualify for Women's World Cup 2025 semi-finals?
After two wins and as many losses, India remain in third place on the points table with four points, the same as South Africa, but with a better Net Run Rate (NRR) of +0.682 compared to South Africa’s -0.888.
On the points table, first-placed Australia and second-placed England remain the firm favourites to reach the semi-finals, having been unbeaten in the tournament so far. Factoring in that Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are among the bottom teams, the remaining two spots in the top four are likely to be contested between India, South Africa, and New Zealand.
The easiest route for India to secure a semi-final berth is to win all three of their remaining matches, and their recent bilateral series form against these opponents is a positive sign.
Since India also play New Zealand, beating them would take their points tally to 10, surpassing New Zealand’s maximum points total of eight. In that scenario, even if South Africa win their remaining matches to reach a maximum of 12 points, India would still advance as one of the top four teams.
India can, at most, afford one defeat. If they beat New Zealand and Bangladesh but lose to England, the NRR would become the deciding factor. However, if they lose to both New Zealand and England, their campaign would be effectively over, as they can reach a maximum of six points from there – fewer than the minimum cutoff required in the previous two editions.
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