Cricket can be a funny game. At times you feel that the formats can get a little complex and present flipping challenges for even the top ranking names to adjust to. The 2nd ODI between India Women’s and England Women’s wasn’t a T20. This is, still and since the beginning, a 3-match ODI series.
But when you glazed at the Indian scorecard that showed the team bundled out within 37 overs- you couldn’t help but think- if they read the entire format approached the contest with a T20 mindset?
Why weren’t the full 50 overs utilised, especially having batted first?
Nagpur wasn’t a run-fest during the second ODI between India Women’s and England Women’s that produced an easy one-sided result. No big hits. No mighty heaves into the stands either. Just loud sounds in anticipation of a wicket. And grunts heard during the mighty team celebration. Thankfully and alas, the England Women’s team prevailed right when it most mattered, in the second game against India Women’s- a truly dilapidated scorecard that shockingly revealed only 113 runs.
A batting failure thanks to Sophie and Hazell
This, mind you was a team that stars big names, impressive names of the class of Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur.
With the sun coming down hotly on a bunch of struggling, waning Indian batswomen, Nagpur on April 9, 2018 wasn’t the finest sight for lovers of good batting. It was, although, a sight that may have done enough to rejoice those who can’t keep the wits about themselves upon seeing spinners succeed.
A perfect alliance between experience and youthful promise; the coming together of ‘have been there, have seen that’ and ‘new to this but can do that’ produced an electrifying bowling performance as a result of Sophie Ecclestone and Danielle Hazell’s supreme bowling effort. The duo- both spinners, the former only 5 ODIs young into the sport and the latter, 51 ODIs old- were enough to drub India on a wicket where clearly it wasn’t impossible to score.
It is a fitting sight when a spinner- regardless of a leggie or an offie- scalps a 5-for. But it becomes a reason for great celebration when together, two spin forces scuttle down 8 wickets out of 10. This is exactly what happened with Hazell scalping a 4-for, her first against India off 10 and the youngster, 18-year-old Sophie Ecclestone grabbing her career-best of 4-14 off 10.
Mithali Raj’s team’s troubles
You understood India’s troubles instantly when you realised that of the 37 overs that Mithali Raj’s side played against England on a day that was marked by a towering English success, the 113 scored eventually came of 31 overs actually. Nothing talismanic here.
Together, Ecclestone and Hazell bowled 6 maiden overs. When was the last time India were so conflicted and restricted for runs on their home turf, you wondered?
In reply to India’s paltry first-inning effort, England were anchored by a charismatic, free-flowing 47 off just 43 by Danielle Wyatt, their in-form right handed opener, someone who just days before struck a career-best 124 in a T20 also against India. Giving England the upper hand eventually at the back of their spinners’ brilliant showing, it ought to be said that the tourists made lightwork of Indian bowling- all spinners, Devika Vaidya, Deepti Sharma and Poonam Yadav- going wicketless.
Much to the delight of her supporters, Tammy Beaumont remained unbeaten and notched up a valuable 39 although taking her own sweet time to settle down, batting for about 85 deliveries in ensuring England didn’t spoil any chances whatsoever of an easy triumph over India. But all that said, it ought to be asked whether the Indian batting is struggling thanks to the edgy form of its top order, particularly that of Mithali Raj’s own scores in recent outings featuring India Women’s v England Women’s?
What India ought to do?
If you barely scroll past Raj’s recent scores then her form doesn’t reveal that great a strength vis-a-vis an in-form Smiriti Mandhana, who has once again the highest scorer in the second ODI between India Women’s and England Women’s. Scores of 4, 0, 6 and 0 do not particularly do justice to the highest ODI run scorer in the women’s game or do they? At the same time, Harmanpreet Kaur will also have to lift her game, who’s highest score in the last four innings has been no more than just an unbeaten 33.
In times like these where much of the scoring is being done by Smriti single-handedly, the entire top and middle order, extending down to Veda will have to bat around the left-hander who is in a seemingly uncontrollable streak of scoring runs. For now, England should savour the win and focus on the final ODI.