NEW DELHI: The wait is almost over, with Team India kicking off their Women’s T20 World Cup campaign in a mouth-watering clash against New Zealand on Friday.
India have a strong recent record in the T20 World Cup, reaching the 2020 final and the 2022 semi-final, but fell short against Australia both times.
In this edition, Harmanpreet Kaur has been once again trusted with leadership duties, with key players like Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, and Deepti Sharma bolstering the arsenal.
India women’s cricket team has had an up-and-down year, with series defeats to Australia and England but a series win over Bangladesh and a tied T20 series against South Africa in July.
Most recently, they reached the final of the Asia Cup 2024 but were stunned by Sri Lanka in a surprise outcome.
In an exclusive interview with TimesofIndia.com, former India regular Punam Raut, who has over 100 appearances for the Women in Blue across formats, shares her insights on India’s prospects at the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup.
Having wealth of experience with the current crop of players, Punam provides valuable perspective on India’s chances in the tournament.
Q) How do you see India’s chances in this World Cup?
We have a very good setup and a strong team. Our preparations have been excellent, and if you look at past records, we have been playing well. One thing is that since the WPL (Women’s Premier League – the T20 franchise tournament) started, we can’t say they are less experienced now. They are very well-experienced and know how international players play. So, we have a chance. Anything can happen in T20, so we have to take each and every game seriously. In (a) T20, anyone can win. It’s not necessary that only the good team wins; the team that plays well on that day wins. So, that’s more important. We have to play good cricket in every match, and that’s very important.
Q) The T20 World Cup was supposed to be held in Bangladesh, but later it was shifted to the UAE. Will that change dynamics and planning?
From India’s point of view, there shouldn’t be any strategic changes because we have played in Dubai before. Players are quite aware of the surface, ground conditions, and weather conditions. As we played the Women’s Champions Trophy in Dubai, which was a BCCI tournament, and all the wickets were different. But now, since it’s an ICC tournament, there might be batting tracks, and as we can see from the warm-up matches, a score of 150-160 is good enough. I feel that is enough since India have played two matches, scoring around 140 and winning, the wickets are a bit turning, but in T20, there might be some support for batting. I don’t see very high scores because on Dubai-like wickets, a score of 150-160 is enough to win a match.
Q) If we talk about the Indian squad, who do you think could be the X-factor in the T20 World Cup?
I feel that spinners will be the X-factor in this World Cup because the conditions are favourable for them. We have quite a few good spinners, like Shreyanka Patil, Deepti Sharma had a great performance in The Hundred, and she is bowling well. So, spinners could be the X-factor in the tournament as they can turn the match around. We have good spinners, so they will do well.
Q) Talking about India vs Pakistan, which will be India’s second match in the tournament. India have always dominated Pakistan. What do you think is the reason for this dominance?
Pakistan always lack in batting, but they have a good bowling strength. Their fielding is also good, but their batting isn’t as strong. It’s crucial to have good batters because in T20, if you don’t have a strong batting lineup, scoring becomes difficult. India have often been restricted to low scores, but they couldn’t chase that. If they have a good batting strength, they can do well against India. India have always dominated in batting and bowling. They have very few batters, so their bowling looks good. That’s what I feel. If the batting lineup is strong, the bowlers are tested on how they bowl against good batters, which hasn’t been happening. That’s why India dominate Pakistan because they lack a strong batting lineup.
Q) Australia are once again considered the favourites. India have been trying for many years yet haven’t been able to defeat them in crunch matches. Where do things go wrong?
Australia are a very good team, and we have to accept that. They are hot favourites and have already won six T20 World Cups. They are a very good team, and experience-wise, they are quite good. The main thing is that they consistently contribute in every match. It’s not like they perform in one match and then not in the next four. Their players consistently perform, and they believe in themselves. They know what they need to do to play consistently. That’s why they are world champions.
On the other hand, the Indian team lacks consistency. Our batters don’t consistently perform. In T20, bringing consistency is the most difficult thing for a batter. In T20, you have to go and hit, which is always difficult. Consistently scoring runs in T20 is difficult, but it’s necessary. If our main five batters consistently perform well, only then can we win. Bringing consistency is very important, and that’s what Australia do.
If you look at Australia’s team players, like Beth Mooney, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, and Alyssa Healy, even if Alyssa Healy isn’t as consistent, the lower-order players like Litchfield, Perry, McGrath and Ashleigh Gardner consistently score 30-40 runs. If the top-order doesn’t perform, the lower-order does. If the top order performs, the lower order doesn’t even get to bat. But everyone consistently contributes, and their fielding is a big plus.
They save a lot of runs and take unbelievable catches. Their fielding is a plus point, which makes their bowling look extraordinary. That’s why India have lagged behind because we are not able to score consistently as a batting unit. If that happens in T20, which is very difficult, but it has to be done if we want to win.
Our pool is quite difficult with Australia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka, who have been doing well since last season.
Q) Sri Lanka defeated India a few months ago (in the Asia Cup). Where do you think we fell short?
Actually, first of all, I felt that with Sri Lanka, we took it very lightly, but the way they played cricket was unbelievable. I have been following them for the last season, and they have performed well in every series, winning good matches and defeating strong teams abroad. Their confidence has grown a lot. When I played against Sri Lanka, their team wasn’t as strong as it is today. They are preparing their plus points, and their team is playing well. Their captain, Chamari Athapaththu, is leading from the front, performing consistently, and getting others to perform too. That’s very important. If the captain is performing and getting others to perform, it gives the team confidence.
That’s what Sri Lanka are doing, and Chamari Atapattu’s consistent performance is a reason for Sri Lanka’s success. Because of her, the lower-order players are also becoming consistent and learning from her.
If our Indian team remains consistent in performance, especially in batting. Jemimah is playing consistently, but in T20, to defeat good teams, everyone needs to chip in. If we do well, we can win the World Cup. The pressure of the World Cup is different. Every team comes with a different confidence, planning, and preparation. There are many things involved, and performing under that pressure is always challenging.
Q) If we talk about weaknesses, what do you think is the main weakness of the current Indian team?
I see that we are losing too many wickets in powerplays. Powerplays are crucial, but we can’t afford to lose so many wickets in powerplays because if your main top-order batters aren’t there, scoring runs becomes difficult. The main thing is how you utilise the powerplay because the whole game is set there.
If you are bowling, you have to restrict the opposition to minimum runs, and if you are batting, you have to score as many runs as possible. But at the same time, losing two to three wickets puts pressure on the middle order. Your stroke-makers are opening, so they need to play the first six overs. If they play and set themselves, they will set the match for you. That’s the weak link I see. We are losing too many wickets in power plays and not scoring 30-40 runs.
