India captain Harmanpreet Kaur did not mince words after her side suffered a narrow three-wicket defeat to South Africa in a thrilling group stage match of the Women’s World Cup at the ACA-VDCA Stadium on Thursday, placing the blame squarely on her side’s top-order batting collapse.
India, who were in deep trouble at 102 for 6, managed to post a competitive total of 251 thanks to a stunning counter-attacking knock from wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh. The 21-year-old blazed her way to a 77-ball 94, smashing 11 boundaries and five sixes while batting at No. 8, single-handedly reviving India’s innings.
However, her heroics were not enough as South Africa chased down the target with five balls to spare, led by a blistering unbeaten 84 off 54 balls from Nadine de Klerk, who was later named Player of the Match. Captain Laura Wolvaardt also contributed a steady 70 at the top of the order.
Speaking after the match, a visibly disappointed Harmanpreet acknowledged Ghosh’s exceptional effort but expressed concern over India’s continued top-order struggles.
“As a top-order, we did not take responsibility and lost too many wickets,” Harmanpreet said. “We kept losing wickets in the middle, and that’s something that has been happening in the last few games. We need to sit down as a group and discuss what we can do better to post decent totals.”
India’s batting once again faltered early, with none of the top six batters crossing 30. The captain stressed the importance of learning from repeated mistakes as the tournament progresses.
“It is a long tournament. This was a tough game, and both teams played really well. Even though we collapsed, we still managed to put 250 on the board, which shows the potential we have. But if we want to compete consistently, our top-order needs to deliver,” she added.
Harmanpreet was full of praise for Ghosh, calling her a game-changer and someone who could consistently produce impactful performances.
“Richa has always been outstanding for us. She is someone who can turn the game around. Today, the way she was hitting, we were all very pleased. Hopefully, she continues this form,” the skipper said.
Despite India’s recovery, South Africa’s middle and lower-order resilience proved too strong. After Wolvaardt’s dismissal in the 36th over, de Klerk and Chloe Tryon stitched together a vital 69-run stand for the seventh wicket. Tryon then stayed unbeaten to finish the chase.
De Klerk, reflecting on the win, said beating India on their home turf was a special moment.
“Look, I am lost for words. No bigger stage than playing India in India. We just had to take it deep. We are a good side in the backend, and we knew even if we needed 7 or 8 an over, we could get there,” she said.
India will need to regroup quickly as they head into the business end of the group stage – they face Australia on Sunday. Harmanpreet emphasised the importance of maintaining a “positive frame of mind” going forward.
