Cardiff, June 8: Bharti Fulmali, Shreyanka Patil and Radha Yadav starred as India crushed the West Indies by 26 runs in their first warm-up match of the Women’s T20 World Cup here on Monday.
Fulmali made a fine unbeaten 56 to power India to 179 for eight after batting first. In reply, the West Indies could only manage 153 for eight with Deandra Dottin making 49.
Dottin struck eight fours in her 44-ball knock but the rest of the Caribbean batters could not capitalise on the strong start provided by Dottin and Shemaine Campbelle (25).
The West Indies collapsed from 81 for two in the 11th over to 153 for eight towards the end as Indian bowlers dominated the final half of the second innings to impose a commanding victory.
India tried only six bowling options in their first warm-up match which had Shreyanka claiming 4-0-36-4 and Radha returning 4-0-25-3 to claim the majority of the wickets.
India will take on the hosts England, against whom they had recently lost the bilateral T20I series 1-2, in their final warm-up match here before taking on Pakistan in their T20 World Cup opener on June 14 in Birmingham.
Earlier in the India innings, Fulmali struck 56 not out off 40 balls but the other batters around her could not provide any support.
As many as six Indian batters recorded single-digit scores which included a first-ball duck for Richa Ghosh and a run-a-ball seven for No. 3 batter Jemimah Rodrigues.
India were off to a strong start with their openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma hitting the strides well, putting on 59 runs for the first wicket inside the powerplay.
Shafali cracked five fours to make 29 off 13 balls while Mandhana was also fluent, hitting eight fours to score 39 off 23 balls to indicate her form ahead of the T20 World Cup.
But there was some concern for India when Yastika Bhatia retired out for 36, having hit six fours while facing 26 balls at No. 4.
Afy Fletcher was the pick of the West Indies bowlers as she returned 4/23. (PTI)
Form of openers, bowling main areas of concern as India head into World Cup
New Delhi, June 8: For the second time in eight months, the Indian women’s cricket team may well have to depend on individual brilliance to win an ICC title considering their shortcomings in all departments.
The road to the pathbreaking ODI World Cup triumph in November was full of bumps, but Jemimah Rodrigues carried the team on her shoulders to get their hands on the elusive trophy.
Not so long ago, India seemed to have most bases covered in the shortest format but the back to back series loss in South Africa and England in the lead up to the T20 showpiece have exposed the obvious chinks in the armour.
The form of openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana have been tepid of late with the lower-order also not performing as per expectations. The team’s designated power hitter, Richa Ghosh, doesn’t have runs under her belt going into the World Cup opener against Pakistan on June 14.
The performance of veteran all-rounder Deepti Sharma too have left a lot be desired both with bat and ball.
As per former India captain Shantha Rangaswamy, India’s mains problems lie with the ball and not so much in the batting and fielding department.
Her concerns are valid as England gunned down a competitive target of 181 comfortably against India to win the three-match series in the UK.
The absence of injured all-rounders Kashvee Gautam and Amanjot Kaur have negatively impacted the balance of the squad. Traditionally, India have been spin heavy with not many options in the pace department.
Nandini Sharma has emerged as a rare positive in the pace attack while left-arm spinner Shree Charani too has been impressive.
Off-spinner Shreyanka Patil has done decently since her comeback but overall the bowling doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence.
“The team has not done well of late but they continue to have a positive body language. I am backing them to go all the way.
“Having said that, our bowling is not as good as our batting and fielding. We were always known for a good bowling attack. We can’t say that now,” Shantha said.
In all probability, 37-year-old Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur would be playing in her last World Cup. Her role in the middle order will be crucial if India are to consistently post totals above 180.
“I am a fan of Harmanpreet the batter. She remains as fit as ever. However, I always wanted her to focus more on her batting rather than captaincy. If she can find her rhythm, it makes the job much easier for others,” added Shantha.
At the top of the order, the lack of runs from Mandhana’s bat causes plenty of concern as she is usually among the consistent performers. Shafali too needs to stay one step ahead of the bowlers to excel as an enforcer in the powerplay.
Yastika Bhatia has got runs at number three since her comeback but needs to bat at a higher strike rate and find a way to not play too many dot balls.
T20 being the most fickle format opens up the competition but India clearly have plenty to fix to challenge for the title. (PTI)
