When asked whether India missed a trick by stacking three left-handers at the top against New Zealand and whether they will stick with it versus West Indies, head coach Ramesh Powar said he trusts the batting unit, before adding, “we'll look at this. Maybe we have taken the wrong call. We accept that. I think, moving forward… we need to address that.”
While there were very few takeaways otherwise from the presser, the admission from Powar at the pre-match press conference that they got it wrong could augur well for India. That they will be back on the field on Saturday could be a blessing in disguise as India would want a quick turnaround.
But, the Stafanie Tayor-led West Indies is not to be taken lightly. They have beaten hosts New Zealand and defending champions England in the first two games. Taylor and vice-captain Anisa Mohammad have reiterated the welcoming change in approach since Courtney Walsh took over as head coach. West Indies — a team of several superstars — as they have shown in the past and in the ongoing World Cup can take on any team on the given day.
This is why it would be even more important for the team management to take a hard look in the mirror and come up with a different team combination and better on-field tactics. Although it is harsh on Yastika Bhatia, they might bring Shafali Verma back to complement Smriti Mandhana against an off-spin-loaded attack. Even if they don't, Deepti Sharma could be pushed to No 5 with Mithali Raj or Harmanpreet Kaur being promoted to No 3, depending on the situation.
The bigger change should be in the bowling department. With both Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews taking a liking to the pacers on a ground where the ball seems to be coming on nicely, they could bring in an extra spinner — Poonam Yadav — to take away the pace and slow things down.
However, leaving out Pooja Vastrakar would be a big compromise on their batting depth and hence, Meghna Singh could potentially miss out on the leg spinner. And it seems like a logical choice too as spinners who take the ball away from the right-handers have done well against the West Indies in this tournament as well as in the past.
Ekta Bisht, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Gouher Sultana, and Poonam have excellent records against them. In this World Cup, too, England’s Sophie Ecclestone took three of the six wickets that fell in their first game. The last time India played them, Poonam was among the leading wicket-takers in the three-match ODI series. Along with Gayakwad, the leg-spinner could be crucial for India’s game plan.
India is fifth in the table and still has five games to go. A win on Saturday is essential for their campaign as tougher contests lie ahead.