Pressure mounts on captain Kaur ahead of England clash
CHENNAI: Even as India are getting ready to face England in Indore on Sunday, pressure is building on skipper Harmanpreet Kaur. India are coming on the back of two consecutive losses and need at least two wins in their next three games to ensure a semifinal qualification. They kicked off the tournament with wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan but against tougher opponents like Australia and South Africa, the Women in Blue have fallen short.
While there are serious concerns over their batting approach and team combinations, what has not helped India is the lack of runs from Harmanpreet. In her first World Cup as captain, she has scored only 71 runs in four innings, with an underwhelming average of 17.75. While it might be the case in this tournament, the Indian captain has enjoyed one of her best years with the bat. Scoring 347 runs, including a ton in England in July this year, with a career-best strike rate of 97.65. However, she has not been able to replicate the same in the World Cup.
Sunday could well be the day that changes feels former England captain Nasser Hussain. "Harmanpreet has a fabulous World Cup record, and the bigger the game (like Alyssa Healy), as we have seen at least in the last couple of games, the stats have just come off a little bit. But two games - and she suddenly delivers," he said in a JioStar press room interaction on Friday.
He felt that the Indian captain should be the one to take it upon herself to bat till the end and take the tem across the line rather than making quick cameos. "Even if Smriti (Mandhana) goes big for 70 or 80 runs like she did the other day, Harmanpreet has got to be the one that says, 'I am going to bat all the way, and everyone has to come in and bat around me' and she can be so destructive. Harmanpreet may not be able to do that in the middle-order, but she is well in her capabilities of grasping this tournament in the two weeks ahead."
As a captain, it is also on Harmanpreet to figure out her go-to bowler to break partnerships, especially against stronger teams. "When someone gets going, like Alyssa Healy the other day, or say Sciver-Brunt gets going on Sunday, Who are you going to turn to as a captain to break that partnership? Under pressure, when you need a wicket, all captains want to see you. For me, it was Darren Gough. For me probably, I think, Deepti Sharma is the person you go to as a partnership breaker. For England, maybe Sophie Ecclestone," said Hussain.
With Sunday's opponents England unbeaten and Australia already sealing the semi-final spot, the race for the semi-finals will be more intense. "It will be handling the pressure for India obviously, having lost two games at home. They lose another one (on Sunday) and then they've got New Zealand as well, who could make a late surge in the tournament. And then instead of looking up, they're looking behind them. But if they win (against England), they'll go into the New Zealand game with a lot of confidence," he explained.
Should that not happen, there will be immense pressure on India and their captain to win the remaining two games. For another group stage exit could be devastating for not just India but also Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain.
Catch India vs England in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup India 2025, Oct 19, at 3:00 pm, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network
