Women’s World Cup 2022: India SWOT Analysis
Team India made it to the final of the previous edition of the Women’s World Cup in 2017 but lost to England in an extremely close encounter. This is another opportunity for the Mithali Raj-led side to create history as the captain herself and pace Jhulan Goswami will look to bow out on a high.
However, India's preparations in the lead-up to the mega event have been anything but ideal. The pandemic certainly took a toll on the side as they have won only four matches in 16 appearances since 2021.
The Women in Blue recently lost to New Zealand 1-4 ahead of the World Cup. They will open their campaign against Pakistan on March 6.
India squad
Mithali Raj (C), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Richa Ghosh, Taniya Bhatia, Sneh Rana, Jhulan Goswami, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav
India SWOT Analysis
Strengths
India boast a strong batting line-up that can help them post massive totals on the board and at times, chase such totals too. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, both being aggressive batters, will open the innings. Mithali Raj, meanwhile, is known to hold one end together while Harmanpreet Kaur has recently regained her form and could be a dangerous prospect as well.
Yastika Bhatia and Richa Ghosh have shown a lot of promise playing some aggressive cricket while also rotating the strike in the middle overs. Deepti Sharma’s all-round prowess is an added bonus for the team.
Apart from this, the team also boasts a lot of experience. Mithali has featured in 225 ODIs while Goswami is only five away from completing 200 ODIs in her career. The likes of Mandhana, Deepti and Kaur have also become more experienced now and will definitely play a role in crunch moments during the tournament.
Weaknesses
Holding their nerves in close matches is certainly one weakness for India. This was evident during limited-overs matches against Australia when they lost an ODI despite being in a good position to win it. The management will just be hoping that the team responds well when put under pressure.
Another concerning point for India will be their inability to pick up wickets in the middle overs in ODIs. The recent series against New Zealand highlighted that problem glaringly. The middle-order opposition milked the bowlers for runs comfortably. The issue is more when the pitches are flat, which could be the case in New Zealand.
Opportunities
This World Cup is a great opportunity for legendary Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami to end their careers on a high. They have been waiting for the tournament specifically to have one more shot at glory. The team has given ample chances to the youngsters as well, with the likes of Yastika Bhatia, Renuka Singh and Meghna Singh being impressive on certain occasions.
Moreover, the backup players are decent as well this time around. Sabbineni Meghna smashed runs aggressively at the top of the order against New Zealand in the absence of Smriti and will be one to watch.
Threats
The inability to hold their nerve could prove to be India’s undoing. Teams are aware of this and will definitely look to take advantage and take the game deeper every time. Also, the pace bowlers except for Jhulan are a little inexperienced and might crumble when the team needs them the most.
India Probable Playing XI
Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Mithali Raj (C), Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), Jhulan Goswami, Poonam Yadav, Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh/Renuka Singh