This article first appeared in '' Seamstress '', my column for Wisden India
How often is it that both teams can claim a series victory?
Once too often for New Zealand, who twice in succession now have lost a series
after winning the ‘series within the series’. The visiting New Zealand team won two of the
first three ODIs in this series, claiming four valuable ICC women’s
championship points that pushed them up to fifth in the ICC points table. But
like their last series against England, they went on to lose the five match ODI
series 2-3 overall, this time India dominating the last two encounters.
There are though, many positives to reflect upon for New
Zealand. After falling into the trap of playing safe in pursuit of a small
total in the first ODI, they adapted admirably in the next two games. Their
batsmen showed a positive and aggressive approach, not unlike that which the
Black Caps team has made their own. The results showed, as they stumbled over
their small target in the second ODI, and waltzed past it in the third. All-rounder
Sophie Devine spoke about both the approach and the comparison in a post-match
interview, and said there was no effort to copy the Black Caps. The White Ferns
wanted to create their own style, and playing attacking cricket was very much a
part of that.
It was not just their
approach, but also their shot selection and application that were impressive.
They used the sweep to good effect to nullify the Indian spinners, and made
merry whenever the Indian bowlers erred in length, especially fond of anything
short. Sophie Devine’s display of footwork against leg spin in the fourth ODI
was worthy of a batsmen brought up on the dust bowls of Chennai, not windy
Wellington. Amy Satterthwaite too was impressive throughout the tournament;
though she could not go on to register a big score. But in the absence of
veteran Sara McGlashan, the batting seemed a little top heavy on more than one
occasion.
Debutant Leigh Kasperek lent some stability to the lower
order, and with ball in hand, the former Scottish international showed a
willingness to flight the ball irrespective of the situation. She displaced
incumbent spinner Georgia Guy from the starting XI with her all round potential.
Lea Tahuhu also impressed with her pace and ability to pick up wickets in her
second spells. And by the time the series had moved on, ‘’Don’t hit it near
Katie Perkins” was probably the instruction in the Indian team meetings. The
redhead-who set the tone for the visitors in the first ODI with a stunning aerial
catch to dismiss Mithali Raj- underlined the effort the White ferns had put
into their fielding.
If the White Ferns adapted their approach after the first
match itself, the Indian batting unit was guilty of taking two matches more to
learn their lesson. In the first three matches,
batting first, the Indian eves had managed 142 all out, 163 all out, and 182/9.
The batting was tepid at best, underlined by a dependence on boundaries and
indolent running between wickets. It was not until they had their backs to the
wall in the fourth ODI, having been set 221 as a target, were they forced to
bat more positively. Beware the cornered tigers indeed. In the last two ODIs,
the Indian side, for whom bowling had always been the stronger skill set, put
in two of the most dominant batting displays seen from this team in recent
rimes. A deliberate effort to dominate the bowlers, to use the flight offered
by the spinners, to not let the part timers settle, and to run aggressively,
could be seen. The likes of Smriti Mandhana, Thirushkamini, and Harmanpreet Kaur,
who had played cautiously in the previous games, opened up and gave a full
account of the panoply of their strokes. The
difference was so stark, it was almost as if we were watching another team
altogether. One can only wonder wistfully what would the score line have been
had this change come sooner.
On the bowling front, Jhulan
Goswami showed no signs of the injury that kept her out of the Challenger
Trophy just before this series, although the commentators did mention ‘pain
killing injections’. She bowled with fire and accuracy, and was always given
appropriate respect by the Kiwi top order, and often their edges. On a venue
where the spinners and batsmen dominated, she along with Tahuhu showed the
value of having a genuine quick bowler in the ranks. India struggled to find a suitable new ball
partner for her though, which meant spin almost always made an appearance
within the first ten overs. And rarely did it disappoint. Rajeshwari Gayakwad
made full use of the conditions on her home ground, and picked up wickets at
crucial junctures with her efficacious left arm spin. As the series progressed,
she became the go-to bowler for Mithali Raj, and was the only spinner to play
all five matches. The Indian fielding however left a lot to be desired on a
number of occasions, despite being punctuated by the occasional flash of
brilliance.
With India due to travel to
Australia in the Aussie summer for next round of ICCWC matches, this series
win against a quality New Zealand side
will be a shot in the arm for the women’s team. Although India conceded four
ICCWC points, coming back after being 1-2 down and dominating the next two
games is a huge achievement. The ‘Women in Blue’ showed they have skills and
pluck required to wrest the momentum comprehensively away from a side like New Zealand,
and then to keep them on the mat in a decider. The self-belief gained from this
performance is worth much more than all six ICCWC points that were on offer.
Worst case scenario, India will need to play the ICC’s qualifying tournament to
determine rankings before the World Cup, slated to be in England in 2017. More
international matches against good teams leading into a World Cup can only be
good news. If the Indian women can maintain this aggressive approach, and
temper it with their abundant skills, wonders can be achieved in the forthcoming
T20 series, and even down under.
It is also necessary to put this
series win in another context : This series was the first home series to be
broadcast live by the Star network (who are now the sponsors of the BCCI) and
the first home series to be broadcast at all for many a year now. With the eyes
of the world, and the powers that be at the BCCI upon them, it was important to
put up a good show. With the new BCCI administration having recently singled
out women’s cricket as an area that they want to develop, this performance is
reassuring. It emphasizes the talent and potential that this squad has, and the
impending contracts for women cricketers will go a long way in allowing the
players to train professionally, which can only lead to an improvement in
performances. Through this show, the Indian women’s team has shown the BCCI
that the raw material exists, and with some smart investment, proper foresight,
and a lot of hard work, the returns could be well worth it.
