ICC Women’s World Cup 2017: 5 areas where the Indian Women’s team needs improvement 

Despite a heartbreaking end to what was an outstanding journey, in many ways the recently concluded ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 is just what Indian women’s cricket and the country needed.

The near winning run has allowed the stars to become more popular, something that wasn't necessarily the case prior to the tournament. A certain Harmanpreet Kaur, on behalf of her team, showed that these women had it in them to tear apart any bowling attack. And Deepti Sharma, still a teenager, has become an integral part of the team and has could be part of something special in the next decade. If not anything else, the recently concluded edition of the WWC has certainly made the country appreciate and respect women’s cricket more.

And needless to say, the team will certainly believe more in themselves and will look to better their performances in their bid to end their wait for a World Cup. The successful campaign is a shot in the arm that Indian women’s cricket needed.

But, with all the positive things aside, there still are a few areas that need to be addressed. Having just come out of a mega event, the teams knows their strengths and weakness better than ever. And the loss to England in the final could be a blessing in disguise in a way because it allows us to concentrate more on the areas of improvement.

We look at five key aspects where Indian women’s team needs to improve.

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#1 Need to work on catching and fitness

There is a lot of room for improvement in fielding

While the ground fielding has seen lot of improvement, there were quite a few dropped catches. As the saying goes, catches do win matches. And on the other hand, dropping catches can cost you matches.

Same applies to the fitness level of the players as well. Compared to what it was few years ago, there has been a noticeable improvement but not enough to compete at the highest level.

Tashur Arothe, the coach of the Indian women’s team, went on to say that the team were good with the bat and ball but needed improvement in fielding. He had also opined that the fitness is a key factor as it has a direct impact on your fielding.

Upon his request, a fielding coach was appointed in the month of May in form of Biju George by the BCCI. It is evident that the team recognises the need for improvement and is putting in the hard yards to improve themselves.

#2 Better the run-rate in the middle overs

Poonam Raut was the only one who looked keen to take quick singles in the WWC

One of the major concerns of the batting unit in the tournament was the slow run-rate in the middle overs. When batting first, the aim is to set a high target and playing too many dot balls puts pressure on the middle and the lower-middle order.

It helped that Smriti Mandhana, who opened the innings with Poonam Raut in all the games, scored quickly and heavily in the first two games. But the problem was conspicuous when she failed.

Extra cover: ICC Women's World Cup 2017: 6 Indian players who didn't get the credit they deserved

While Mithali Raj, who is the backbone of the Indian middle-order and the top run scorer in the WWC 2017 for India, scored important runs, the strike rate was still in question. And while Harmanpreet Kaur has the ability to clear the ropes at will, she is generally a slow starter. Also Poonam Raut who scored 381 runs in 9 innings has a strike-rate of 67.43, which can be better.

India need to find ways to keep the score board ticking in the middle overs when the spinners are in operation.

#3 Converting starts to big runs

Harmanpreet Kaur has been excellent but India will need more form her going ahead

Yes, there were a few breathtaking innings from the Indian women in the tournament, but there were also instances where a set batter got out without making it count. Both Kaur and Raut ended up with one century and two half-centuries to their names in 9 games. Being the key batters of the side, they should try and bat till the last to give themselves the best chance to score big.

Another concern for the Indian team was the patchy form of the dashing opener, Smriti Mandhana. After the first two matches, Mandhana failed to make an impact and that hurt India as they lost a few games after a great start to the campaign. However, she is proven talent and could have a bright future with the Indian team.

#4 Handling the pressure better

With more games, the young team will handle pressure better

At 190 for 3, Indian women were in a commanding position, chasing a decent total of 228 set by England. But after Poonam Raut was out LBW to an innocuous delivery, things spiralled down and they lost seven wickets for less than 30 runs.

This collapse can be largely attributed to their inability to cope with the pressure of the occasion. The experienced Veda Krishnamurthy opened the gates for England after playing a reckless shot under pressure. And the tail couldn’t win it for the team.

It would be too harsh to name names as the team still lacks the experience. But, with time, the young side will mature by playing more games and will learn to read and handle the tight situations better.

#5 Find successors for Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami

How will India replace their two stalwarts?

At the age of 34, you would think that both Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami are not too far from retiring. So, it is very likely that both the legends have played their last World Cup.

After losing their two most experienced players, the Indian team will need someone to fill in their shoes to take the team ahead. We have two experienced campaigners in Poonam Raut and Harmanpreet Kaur, and they will have to shoulder extra responsibility in helping the youngsters.

Extra cover: The women's world before and after Mithali

There is plenty of talent in the camp to ensure that the future of Indian women’s cricket is in safe hands. But the need for monitoring their transformation into matured cricketers is certainly there.