Watching another game nervously with your fate reliant on its result is probably among the least enviable things in sport. Which is why, bags packed, several India players chose not to invest three-plus hours of their emotional energy into the New Zealand-Pakistan game , instead only glancing at the score from time to time.
Their hopes rose when New Zealand were kept to 110, but they came crashing down when Pakistan tumbled to 56 all out. It's the first time since 2016 that India haven't made the semi-finals of a Women's T20 World Cup. Their packed bags were ready to head straight to check-in, Harmanpreet Kaur's team to fly home and disperse to their homes, before reconvening in Ahmedabad next week for three ODIs against New Zealand.
Between now and then, they'll have time to reflect on a campaign that never really took off. And that's perhaps why this will sting more than the one in 2023 , when they were contenders through much of the tournament before being stopped in the semi-final by eventual champions Australia.
When they do stop to reflect, here are some of the things they will have to consider.
The batting-order muddle
It's great to have flexibility and India tried out six different players at No. 3 since Amol Muzumdar took over as head coach in December last year. But when these experiments didn't yield the desired results, the team management backed the experienced Harmanpreet Kaur to be the impact batter there.
In T20s since the start of 2022, Harmanpreet has been striking at 94.07 across 84 innings. The plan here was to free her up to play the role of an aggressor, allowing Jemimah Rodrigues , originally a No. 3, to be a spin enforcer in the middle.
But one loss to New Zealand led to a reshuffle with Rodrigues coming out at No. 3 against Pakistan , a game where the openers failed to hit a single boundary in the powerplay when the need of the hour was quick runs to improve their net run rate if it came down to that.
Rodrigues herself had spoken of how batting in a new position had got her to approach batting differently. Yet, in a decisive game against Australia, with spinners Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham and Ash Gardner applying the brakes on India's scoring rate, they missed Rodrigues in the middle, because she was sent in at No. 3 again, above Harmanpreet. The revolving door at No. 3 may have not been the only reason for their exit, but it certainly forced India to deviate from the template they had wanted to set.
Mandhana, Ghosh off-colour
It also didn't help that Smriti Mandhana had a forgettable tournament. Barring the half-century against Sri Lanka, she managed just 12, 7 and 6. Mandhana's powerplay salvo has over the years allowed India's middle order some cushion. It did so in 2023; not this time though, and it hurt the team. Muddled batting plans down the order didn't help either, like the decision to send in Deepti Sharma ahead of S Sajana against Pakistan when India were looking to close out the chase quickly.
Deepti was unbeaten on 7 off eight balls and by the time Sajana, playing primarily as a finisher, came in to hit her first (and only) ball of the tournament to the boundary to bring up the winning runs, India had eaten up 18.5 overs in a modest chase.
Batting-order tactics aside, India also let themselves down with their individual, in-the-moment decision-making. Like Richa Ghosh, India's biggest six-hitter, chancing a non-existent single to extra cover when big hits, and not quick singles, was the need of the hour.
Or Harmanpreet's decision to take a single with India needing 14 to win off six balls against Australia. It was clear, beyond doubt, that Harmanpreet was India's last hope. India went on to lose two wickets in two balls. Even when there was still a chance, however unlikely, with India needing 13 off 3, Harmanpreet opted to take another single, leaving No. 9 Shreyanka Patil to hit two sixes.
Why camps over A-tour exposure in Australia?
Patil is a competent batter in domestic cricket but has hardly had opportunities to showcase her credentials at the top level. Okay, she was injured in the run-up to the tournament and needed the National Cricket Academy's attention, but in simply focusing on skills and fitness camps did India deny themselves a valuable opportunity of sending some of the others, like Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav and Arundhati Reddy, on the India A tour to Australia?
All through the South Africa and Bangladesh series , India's lower order was hardly tested on the batting front. Even when they went 3-0 up in Bangladesh, they stuck to the tried-and-tested. At the time, this might have seemed fair because they were preparing for a World Cup that was expected to be in those same conditions. But hardly any batting time for a lower order for months leading into the World Cup didn't help.
Which is perhaps why exposure in a multi-format series against a quality opponent, which featured the likes of Tahlia McGrath, who played an important role in India's defeat on Sunday, could have provided them exposure and experience that no skill or fitness camp would have compensated for.
Also, while India's preparation - exclusive fitness, fielding and skill camps across six weeks - may have seemed comprehensive on the face of it, they may have missed a trick by not scheduling a single fielding or training session under lights. While three dropped catches against Australia in a crunch game may not have directly contributed to their defeat, it all added up in the end.
So, what next?
Inevitably, the end of every World Cup cycle will prompt questions of a transition. Harmanpreet has been captain for seven years now, and has been a key driver for change amid a revolving door of coaches (Tushar Arothe to Ramesh Powar to WV Raman to Ramesh Powar to Hrishikesh Kanitkar to Amol Muzumdar) since she took over in 2017.
Mandhana has been the captain-in-waiting, much like Rohit Sharma until he replaced Virat Kohli, co-incidentally after a group-stage exit at a T20 World Cup in the UAE - in 2021. Mandhana has risen to be a top batter who commands the respect of the players and has built an impressive body of work.
Earlier this year, she masterminded Royal Challengers Bengaluru's maiden WPL win. At 28, with over a decade's experience, it may not necessarily be a bad idea for the team to go to her, for an influx of new ideas from a player who has come of age under Harmanpreet and can build on her good work.
That could possibly unshackle Harmanpreet the batter as well, adding possibly yet another chapter to her illustrious career, especially with a 50-over World Cup to look forward to at home next year.
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