Cursed by fate?

It is true that skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues almost took the game away from the mighty Australians — leaving them in want of answers. And then Jemimah, who seemed to be in sublime classy touch, went for a ramp shot leading to her soft dismissal. More disheartening was the unfortunate dismissal of Harmanpreet who, on multiple occasions in the last couple of years, has left the Kangaroos outclassed by the sheer weight of her performance, only to be defeated by fate. Fate? Yes, it might have had a role to play in India’s exit from the ICC Women’s World Cup at the semi-final stage, but it was just one small factor. India seemed to lack the proportion of self-belief required to defeat a big team like Australia in a big game. Most of the players — barring exceptions like Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues — appeared to be buckling under the pressure of competing against the Australian side. What else explains Deepti Sharma’s unusually hesitant short-length deliveries? What explains trusted Renuka Thakur conceding two sixes in the final over of the first innings? And what explains the sloppy field work and missed chances of dismissal, including that of top-scorer Beth Mooney and player of the match Ashleigh Gardner, in an important contest such as this? Despite having a bunch of talented, competent and spirited players, Indian women’s cricket is persistently failing to cross the threshold of self-belief — a must for being crowned as the champions they are. Ever since the Indian women’s team lost an ‘almost won’ match against England in the 2017 ODI World Cup final, the misfortune of close defeats in big games has kept us haunting. The impediment, more often, has come in the form of the Australian side — be it the Commonwealth Games final or the most recent match. In the final of ICC T20 World Cup 2020 as well, Australia handed over a dominating defeat to the blue caps at MCG. Overall, Indian and Australian teams have met 31 times, of which Australia have won 23 and India just seven. The record has only worsened over the last couple of years. Since the 2020 T20 World Cup final, India has faced Australia in 11 matches, winning one and losing nine. These statistics, however, do not spell out complete reality. To borrow a quote from Benjamin Disraeli, there are “lies, damned lies, and statistics.” There is no denying the fact that Australia’s dominance in women’s cricket is unparalleled but Indians have been giving them close fights one after another. It seems more to be a case of mental makeup than cricketing capabilities. So, if it is not about the lack of cricketing capability, what else haunts the Indian women’s cricket team? It is partly the result of improper management by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Evidently, the enviable talent of India’s women cricketers is not matched by due guidance and coaching. The coaching scenario has been turbulent lately. Reshuffling of coaches just a couple of months ahead of the T20 World Cup and the absence of Sairaj Bahutule — who is deployed at Border-Gavaskar trophy — have certainly not worked well for India. For a side that is still struggling to live up to its capabilities, the need for streamlined coaching and management is more pronounced than anything else. It is worth backing the Indian women’s team with due time and resources so that they can bring to the country the laurels they are capable of winning. For decades, we saw the Indian women’s cricket being dragged on the shoulders of legends like Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami. The same should not go for Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and other experienced players in the side. One saw Harmanpreet Kaur break into tears and frustration after the loss in the last league match against South Africa in 2021 ODI World Cup, despite giving all-out as an individual performer on the field. The frustration was more intense after the unfortunate run-out in the last game. It is time for India’s cricket administration to step forward and acknowledge their share of responsibility to relieve the key players from the defeat burden. There is an opportunity to further build on a diversely talented team, which should not be wasted. Shortcomings notwithstanding, girls played well and gave their best.