Australia don't depend on one or two people: Harmanpreet Kaur after India's loss

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur criticised her team's lack of collective effort following their 9-run defeat to Australia, highlighting this as the key difference between the sides in a crucial Women's T20 World Cup clash.

In Short

• Harmanpreet Kaur scored an unbeaten 54 in a losing effort
• India's semi-final hopes dwindled after the 9-run loss to Australia
• India's batters failed to support Harmanpreet during the must-win match

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed her frustration with the lack of collective effort in her side’s loss to Australia in a crucial Women's T20 World Cup clash on October 13. She pointed out that this was the key difference between India and Australia, and a major reason for their defeat.

India’s hopes of progressing to the semi-finals took a significant hit after their 9-run loss to an injury-plagued Australia in Sharjah. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Harmanpreet emphasized that Australia displayed a stronger team effort, which was missing from her own side.

IND vs AUS, Women's T20 World Cup: Highlights

"I think their entire team contributes, they don't depend on one or two players, they have a lot of all-rounders who contribute...They have a batter who can take the target of power play. They don't have anything fixed. According to pitch, according to situation they can make a plan and play," Harmanpreet said.

"They didn't give away easy runs and made it difficult. They are an experienced side...It was a chaseable total. When me and Deepti were batting, we couldn't hit a few loose balls. We can learn a lot from Australia. Whatever was in our hands, we were trying to do that but that's something not in our control. If we had an opportunity to play another game, it would have been great. Whoever plays well will deserve to be there," Harmanpreet added.

How India vs Australia panned out

India's bowlers had managed to restrict Australia to a modest 151, showcasing an impressive performance given Australia's batting strength. However, the Indian batters failed to capitalise on this. Harmanpreet Kaur stood out with a resilient, unbeaten 54 off 47 balls, but she received little support from the other batters. Deepti Sharma chipped in with 20 off 25 balls, but no other Indian batter made a significant impact.

The situation became especially dire in the final over, with India needing 14 runs to win. Harmanpreet, unfortunately, didn’t manage to get on strike in time as wickets crumbled around her. Four wickets fell in quick succession, leaving her stranded at the non-striker’s end.

With their fate now out of their hands, India’s only hope of reaching the semi-finals rests on Pakistan defeating New Zealand in their upcoming match. This defeat has left India on the brink of elimination, while Harmanpreet’s remarks reflect the growing concern over the lack of team cohesion, especially when compared to a well-rounded Australian unit that has consistently shown their ability to win big matches as a collective force.