The India women’s cricket team are tipped as the second favourite behind Australia for the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025. If anything, the recent ODI series against Australia validated the point. The Women in Blue became the first team since 50-over women’s cricket commenced in 1973 to beat Australia by over 100 runs. But do they have the all-round ability to finally break the ICC jinx?
Acceleration & power hitting an issue (Rating: 8.5/10)
Since 2024 in ODIs, no one has scored more runs than Smriti Mandhana. Such is the disparity that Laura Wolvaardt, the next highest scorer, has amassed 492 fewer runs. But that’s not the best part; Mandhana leads the way in strike rate as well. No one who’s scored 500 or more runs in this period has a better strike rate than the lefty opener.
Jemimah Rodrigues, Pratika Rawal, and Harmanpreet Kaur are also among the top 10 run-getters in the last 21 months. Harleen Doel isn’t far, placed 12th. Lower-order batters, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh, don’t have the same volume of runs but have been effective.
However, there are two issues. Pratika and Harleen, India’s second opener and number three, often take time to settle down. A partnership between them means that the opposition can crawl into the game. Recently, against Australia, both slowed down in two different matches, which decreased the expected total.
But it isn’t just them. Deepti Sharma, who’s India’s number seven, has a strike rate lower than four other batters. She’s one of the finishers, but, more often than not, can’t provide the final flourish. Considering her career ODI strike rate of 68.47, she’s done well in the last two years. But if Richa Ghosh doesn’t strike quickly, India can struggle to end on a strong note.
Overall, India’s batting is great. Apart from Australia, the title contenders, no other team probably can match them.
Most runs for India Women in ODIs since 2024
| Batter | Innings | Runs | Highest Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smriti Mandhana | 26 | 1550 | 136 | 59.61 | 101.77 | 7 | 6 |
| Jemimah Rodrigues | 23 | 808 | 123 | 38.47 | 100.49 | 2 | 2 |
| Pratika Rawal | 16 | 792 | 154 | 52.80 | 84.97 | 1 | 6 |
| Harmanpreet Kaur | 21 | 690 | 103* | 38.33 | 97.04 | 2 | 1 |
| Harleen Deol | 19 | 663 | 115 | 36.83 | 79.87 | 1 | 2 |
| Deepti Sharma | 19 | 495 | 93 | 49.50 | 88.70 | 0 | 2 |
| Richa Ghosh | 22 | 476 | 59 | 29.75 | 114.14 | 0 | 3 |
Lack of miles in legs of pacers (Rating: 8/5/10)
Unlike the batters, the bowlers haven’t collectively fired for India. Deepti Sharma is the highest wicket-taker since 2024 in ODIs, but no other bowler has more than 15 matches after her. Priya Mishra, who was one of the best bowlers during his period, isn’t part of the squad.
Renuka Singh, Kranti Goud, Amanjot Kaur, and Arundhati Reddy have bowled in 31 innings combined in the last 21 innings. For reference, Deepti alone has bowled in 25 matches. Renuka’s coming fresh from an injury. Amanjot’s an all-rounder, but her economy isn’t great.
Yes, playing in India means spin will take the load. On top of that, Sneh Rana’s in the form of her life, with Deepti and Shree Charani in splendid touch as well. Granted, the pacers are fit and firing, and India’s bowling department looks settled. The only other chink in the armour could be not having a wrist spinner.
Most wickets for India Women in ODIs since 2024
| Bowler | Innings | Overs | Wickets | Best Figures | Average | Economy | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deepti Sharma | 25 | 220.5 | 39 | 6/31 | 25.87 | 4.56 | 33.9 |
| Sneh Rana | 10 | 83.2 | 20 | 5/43 | 19.80 | 4.75 | 25.0 |
| Renuka Singh | 11 | 93.2 | 17 | 5/29 | 27.35 | 4.98 | 32.9 |
| Kranti Goud | 6 | 44.4 | 13 | 6/52 | 18.53 | 5.39 | 20.6 |
| Arundhati Reddy | 10 | 82.3 | 12 | 4/26 | 33.66 | 4.89 | 41.2 |
| Amanjot Kaur | 4 | 37.0 | 9 | 3/54 | 26.77 | 6.51 | 24.6 |
| Shree Charani | 9 | 80.1 | 9 | 2/26 | 50.66 | 5.68 | 53.4 |
| Radha Yadav | 9 | 75.4 | 9 | 4/69 | 45.00 | 5.35 | 50.4 |
Fielding, the biggest problem (Rating 5/10)
The biggest issue for the India Women will be their fielding. After the second ODI against Australia, the Women in Blue had dropped more catches than they had taken (8 to 10). The issue was that it wasn’t an aberration. Because they dropped 3 catches in the last ODI as well. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led team was the 3rd worst catching team among 14 teams in 2025.
Of the chances generated, India has dropped more than 40%. But catching isn’t the only problem. Ground fielding’s a big issue as well. India doesn’t cut the singles down to create pressure; they fumble more often than not. Teams like Australia build pressure by denying the opposition even a single run, while India releases the same pressure via their poor fielding
India’s ODI catching record in 2025
- Catches taken: 55
- Catches dropped: 36
- Catching Efficiency: 60.43%
India squad for Women’s ODI World Cup 2025
Batters: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (WK)
All-rounders: Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana
Bowlers: Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani
Standby: Tejal Hasabnis, Prema Rawat, Priya Mishra, Minnu Mani, Sayali Satghare
