Two World Cups, Two Group Exits: India's T20 approach must change

For the second time in as many editions, the Indian cricket team failed to move past the group stages of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

From the 2024 exit to the one more recently on Sunday, India is stuck playing the cricket of old. Between the two campaigns, the required shift hasn’t happened – neither in approach nor in personnel.

Despite a two-year period between the two World Cups, India’s struggle for a settled Number 3 batter is yet to reach its conclusion. Before the 2024 World Cup, India tried out at least six different batters for the position since Amol Mazumdar took over as the head coach in December 2023.

Since the 2024 World Cup until the end of their campaign at the 2026 World Cup, the women in blue have played four different batters at the position.

While Jemimah Rodrigues seemed to be the first choice, having batted in the position for a majority of the 24 matches India played since the end of 2024 World Cup and start of the 2026 World Cup, the team management’s decision to tinker with the combination and try out Yastika Bhatia in that spot in the series against England with just over a fortnight to the World Cup suggested a lack of confidence in the incumbent.

Come the tournament earlier this month, both Bhatia and Rodrigues shared the number 3 duties.

The same could also be said about the bowling set-up India carried into the 2026 World Cup. They tried out as many as five different pace bowling combinations in as many matches.

The lack of a settled unit showed as the four pacers – Renuka Singh Thakur, Nandini Sharma, Arundathi Reddy, and Kranti Gaud – returned with a grand total of five wickets among themselves.

India's conservative T20 approach remains unchanged

T20s, across genders, have turned into a game of middle over dominance. Gone are the days when teams used to rely solely on strike rotation in overs 7-15 while looking for boundaries in the powerplay and death.

India were mostly behind the eight ball in this phase with the bat, largely down to the struggles of the trio of Bhatia, Rodrigues, and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur.

Both Bhatia and Rodrigues, though good players of spin, lack the power game to dominate the proceedings in the said phase.

Kaur, meanwhile, was guilty of being rooted to her age-old game plan of starting the innings slowly before exploding. It didn’t work out at any time except the final must-win match against Australia.

These were the same concerns raised after the 2024 World Cup exit as well.

The group stage exit just paints one picture – India is far too conservative for modern-day T20s.

Take coach Mazumdar’s explanation for not retiring out Rodrigues, who was struggling to up the ante, earlier in the final match against Australia.

“It really didn’t strike me with 3-4 overs to spare. I thought Jemi [Rodrigues] is a clutch player and they were going really strong,” Mazumdar had said after retiring her out only in the final over in favour of the big-hitting Richa Ghosh.

India’s T20 approach needs drastic changes, and it is now an open secret.

Despite the advent of the Women’s Premier League and the rise of a few exciting talents, it is unfortunate that lower-ranked Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Netherlands, and Bangladesh are the only teams India has beaten in the past two editions of the T20 World Cup.

“We need to rethink a lot of things,” skipper Harmanpreet Kaur had said after a second consecutive group stage exit.

And it might have to start with her own role in the team. Kaur, as a batter, is still indispensable for India, but with Smriti Mandhana breathing down the neck for the leadership role, it might be time to exchange the baton?

The management, however, seems to think otherwise, with Kaur set to lead India once again at the upcoming 2026 Asian Games.