India will be playing their toughest match of the tournament against mighty Australia at Eden Park tomorrow. If Australia wins tomorrow they will surely be the first team to qualify for the semis. Meantime, if India can somehow pull this impossible task, they will be looking pretty confident to seal the spot in the semis of Women's Cricket World Cup 2022.
But before India takes on the Aussies, what went wrong against England for India? "The batting lacked big partnerships. We expected India to get 300 plus as India had 8 batters in their 11. And seven of those eight batters had scored runs here and there in the tournament. There was no partnership at all," Gargi Banerjee answered.
"Not only batting, but even our spinners should also have bowled better. Jhulan and Meghna had given a great start. We expect our spinners to do better than that," she added.
In the last match, Gargi Banerjee wanted Sneh Rana to come and bowl as a first change bowler. She believes that Sneh can do more damage if she bowls early in the match. "I had told you earlier and I am saying it again, Sneh should bowl as a first change bowler. Jhulan and Meghna Singh are bowling well in front. We need to carry the momentum from that."
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But as they say, past is past. You need to focus on what is coming to you. So, what does India now need to do to beat the six-time world champions?
India have to put pressure on Australia from the beginning whether India batting or bowling. They should play a fearless game against Australia. Australia should feel the pressure, the former Indian cricketer answered.
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However, with a chance to seal their spot at the knock-outs, Australia looks invincible. "India needs to build partnerships. Yes, obviously they do all the plannings but they need to execute those plans. 1-10, 10-20, 20-30 and so on, India should have a plan for every ten overs whether they are batting or bowling," she added.
"If you ask me, I would like Shafali Verma to come back in the eleven. And, Harmanpreet Kaur should bat at three. This will give two of India's best batters (Smriti and Harmanpreet) more balls to face. In that case, Deepti should bat at four and Mithali at 5."
"But if India gets a good start then they should promote Mithali at four which will give her freedom to play her strokes. Moreover, India can maintain a lefty-righty combination with that," Gargi Banerjee gave an analytical answer on why India should change their batting lineup to beat the team from down under.
Although, she thinks India needs to bowl with more control. "If the bowlers can bowl with consistent line and lengths and batters can build up partnerships, India will automatically put pressure on Australia," she added.
"Every player knows what responsibilities is been given to them so they should contribute accordingly to the team. Overall the team contribution in the right situation is what India should focus on against Australia."
India is currently at number 4 on the ICC Women's World Cup 2022 points table. Meanwhile, Australia is yet to lose a game in the world cup. The match starts at 6.30 am.
West Indies move up to No.3 spot after a thrilling victory over Bangladesh š#CWC22 pic.twitter.com/7by5PUlSUQ
ā ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) March 18, 2022