The numbers were eye-catching yet somehow still not quite enough. India reached 294 for 4 in the 43rd over on a placid Pune surface and appeared set for something closer to 360. Instead, the next six wickets vanished for 36 runs and the innings ended on 330 with seven balls unused. Australia, rarely unnerved by tall targets, replied with 331 for 5 – thanks largely to Alyssa Healy’s assured 142 – and wrapped things up with six deliveries left.
“The way we started we thought if we could have added more 30-40 runs on the board, we missed runs in the last six-seven overs,” captain Harmanpreet Kaur admitted at the presentation. “We kept losing wickets and that really cost us because today’s pitch was totally different. We knew it was a good batting wicket, but those last six overs where we were not able to capitalise really cost us.”
India had finally coaxed substantial returns from their vaunted top order. Smriti Mandhana and the in-form Pratika Rawal posted brisk half-centuries, while Harmanpreet herself and Jemimah Rodrigues kept things ticking in the middle overs. Yet, once Harmanpreet holed out for 68, the lower order never settled. Seamers Darcie Brown and Annabel Sutherland, supported by accurate lines from spinners Alana King and Ashleigh Gardner, prised out four wickets in 19 balls. That left Australia needing just under seven an over, a rate rarely considered daunting in modern women’s one-day cricket.
Head coach Amol Muzumdar sounded more reflective than frustrated afterwards. “Look, in my opinion, the finish is very important in a cricket game,” he said. “I always say, even in this dressing room, that yes, we need a good start, but we need a better finish. So, if you see the finish that we had in the South Africa game, as far as bowling is concerned in the last five overs, we ended up losing that game. And, even today, basically, if we would have got another 20 runs, maybe things would have been different.”
Muzumdar’s remarks echoed Harmanpreet’s concerns about closing out both innings. India have now lost consecutive matches – South Africa chased 252 with seven balls left, Australia 331 with six – despite posting what looked like healthy totals. Each time the bowling group consisted of just five frontline options, a combination designed to extend the batting. It has not yet yielded the desired balance on flat tracks.
“We’ll sit and discuss [about five bowlers] because this combination has given us a lot of success in the past,” Harmanpreet said. “Two bad games are not going to make a big difference for us.” Even so, with England up next in Indore – another venue known for high-scoring contests – tweaks feel likely.
Where India faltered, Healy flourished. The Australian skipper’s 142 was more method than magic: early drives through cover, judicious sweeps once the spinners arrived, and the odd loft to keep mid-on honest. She lost partners at intervals but rarely tempo, moving from 50 to 100 in just 40 balls. By the time she steered Shikha Pandey to third man, she had left just 52 required from 51, which Ellyse Perry and Beth Mooney polished off without fuss.
Harmanpreet did take positives from the opening 40 overs of her side’s batting effort. “Today the first 40 overs were really good and in the last 10 we were not executing well. In matches these things are going to happen, we are not going to be 100% all the time but it’s very important how you come back.” The challenge now is to marry that early-innings composure with a sharper finish – with bat and ball alike.
There is also the question of death-over options. Renuka Thakur swung the new ball nicely but returned figures of 1 for 67. Pandey and Pooja Vastrakar, reliant on variations rather than outright pace, found little margin for error once Healy was set. India may contemplate recalling left-arm seamer Monica Patel or an additional spinner to add variety, though that would shorten the batting again.
For Australia the evening was largely straightforward, though coach Shelley Nitschke will note that conceding 330 betrayed a touch of rust with the ball. Still, winning while admitting room for improvement is a pleasant problem to have. India, conversely, have to solve two similar defeats in quick succession.
Muzumdar remained calm. “At the same time, it’s been a gradual progress for us. And there are a lot of learnings. I keep talking about positives and learnings. One of the things to learn is to finish well.” England arrive in three days; the lessons need to bed in quickly.
