Harmanpreet crestfallen, Mandhana left shattered after India’s Australia loss

It was deja vu for Harmanpreet Kaur, for the fourth time in the last two years. A fifty in a chasing cause against Australia in a white-ball game, amid lack of support from the other end – the India captain had been through the heartbreak thrice before, twice in 2022, in the ODI World Cup and the Commonwealth Games, and then in the T20 World Cup last year. But the storyline remained the same.
India did show intent in their chase of 152 on a difficult Sharjah track, with opener Shafali Verma smashing two boundaries and a six in her 13-ball 20, despite Smriti Mandhana struggling to manoeuvre the new ball through the gaps.
Following the fall of the third wicket, Harmanpreet combined with Deepti Sharma to rebuild the innings, and a flurry of boundaries in the half-century stand saw India slowly gain momentum in the chase. But just when the pair looked settled to take the game deep, Sophie Molineux dismissed the left-hander and Harmanpreet was once again left on her own.
India never managed to recover as Australia exposed the inexperienced lower-order at the start of the slog overs. Harmanpreet did look to keep the chase alive with her unbeaten fifty, but the knock of 47-ball 54* was not enough as India fell short by nine runs.
Following the loss, the 35-year-old was left crestfallen, having failed to take India home and guarantee a ticket to the semifinal. A sense of deja vu amid the tumbling of wickets at the other end left Harmanpreet helpless, before being engulfed by disappointment after India’s loss.
Mandhana, on the other hand, was left shattered on the dressing room stairs at the sight of the successive dismissals of Deepti and Richa Ghosh, which marked the end of India’s batting line-up by the start of the 17th over, while fast bowler Renuka Thakur, seated beside the vice-captain, covered her face in disbelief.
India can still make the semis from Group A if Pakistan beat New Zealand in Dubai on Monday, albeit by a small margin, but Harmanpreet admitted that while it would be great for the team to get another shot at proving critics wrong, the qualification scenario no longer remains in their control.
“Whatever was in our hands, we were trying to do that but that’s something not in our control. If we get the opportunity to play another game, that will be great. But otherwise, whoever deserves to be there, that team will be there,” she said in the post-match presentation.