Who can be blamed for India’s strangulation of England? Bad strategy or poor execution on the part of the players?

If, before the India vs England match of the 2025 Women’s World Cup, someone had advised the hosts to win the match by chasing 289, it would have seemed like a joke. Given the team’s form and their struggles to continue, this would have been a difficult task; and that’s exactly what happened on Sunday, when India ended the run, having been in a strong position.

The new chokers of women’s cricket – Team India?

In about 41 overs, India were cruising at 234/3, needing just 55 runs from 54 deliveries. From there, they not only lost three more wickets, but could only score 50 runs, eventually losing the match by four runs. Or even when India needed 36 from 30 and had 6 wickets in hand.

A lamentable, lamentable spectacle, after having dominated 90% of the chase. So, who is really to blame for this mess India find themselves in – after 5 matches, they are yet to qualify, with just one vacant spot, and are in direct competition with New Zealand for that. So, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur scored 70 off 70 but bowed out at a time when it was important to continue her partnership with Smriti Mandhana.

Harmanpreet Kaur’s wicket, the turning point

She played a slice to short third man, leaving the team 167/3 in 30 overs. From there, Deepti Sharma scored a 50 off 57, but with the team still needing 27 runs in three overs, she attempted a six, only to be caught by Sophie Dunkley; this blow even though it is not his strength.

Richa Ghosh looked rusty and was caught by Heather Knight. At this point, one would expect India’s best batter to hit shots, which she couldn’t. Mandhana was of course suffering from cramps, so that was the end of that for her. Yes, without forgetting Harleen Deol, who shows great promise, but who got away with it for 24… just the story of her career.

Who is responsible for India’s loss?

A word for the bowlers as well. Are they also guilty? Maybe not. When the skipper does not dish out the entire quota of overs to Renuka Thakur, his spearhead, who had an economy of 4.60, there is a certain problem. Moreover, Kranti Gaud also failed to achieve his quota, unlike Sree Charani, who scored 68 runs. His final run of the round yielded 11 points.

Honestly, this team is much better than the results they are currently getting, but there is a lot of work to do. Yes, the semi-finals are still a real possibility, but you have to understand that the kind of problems that persist at the moment, we may not be ready to win the cup this time.