Following India’s narrow defeat to Australia in the Women’s World Cup, captain Harmanpreet Kaur reflected on crucial missed scoring opportunities in the latter stages of their batting innings. Despite an outstanding 155-run opening stand between Smriti Mandhana (80) and Pratika Rawal (75), India failed to build on a strong total, ending up with 330 all out in 48.5 overs. Kaur believes they were 30-40 runs short of a competitive score. “Not batting well in the last six overs cost us,” Kaur stated candidly. “The openers have been outstanding, because of them we have been scoring 300 runs.” Australia, spurred by a magnificent 142 from Alyssa Healy, successfully chased the target, reaching 331/7 in 49 overs. Kaur pointed out the failure of the lower-order batters to replicate their form from previous matches and expressed confidence in the team’s ability to bounce back. She also praised the bowling performance of N Shree Charani, viewing her as a key player for future breakthroughs.
