India Were Unfortunate With Injuries, But Need More Pacers, Power Hitters After T20 WC Exit, Says Bishop

India were unfortunate with injuries, but need more pacers, power hitters after T20 WC exit, says Bi (Image Source: IANS)

T20 World Cup: Former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop believes that India must aggressively unearth more fast bowlers and inject more power into their batting lineup if they want to bridge the gap with six-time champions Australia, who sent them crashing out of the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup.

India’s campaign in the ongoing tournament ended in another league-stage exit after losing to Australia by six wickets at Lord’s on Sunday. In a tournament with very little margin for error, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led India paid the price of not knowing their best playing eleven and all departments not being in sync, as they suffered crucial defeats to South Africa and Australia.

"From India's point of view, I wouldn't say that I call myself the most knowledgeable person on it, but I just felt from a bowling perspective, there needs to be (more penetration). They were unfortunate with injuries, Shreyanka Patil going out, and they need some pace additions, I believe.

"Not just being a former fast bowler, but I think generally, and I asked Charlie Dean about this - I've been talking about the Australians and how they have managed to win six T20 World Cups -- with a little bit more balance in the bowling attack, with a little bit more pace, cutting edge in addition to the spinners is one thing and in T20 cricket now, where Australia have been very good in winning six titles, is the power in their batting.

"India does have a little bit of that, but they need more, and looking back at the game yesterday, I wonder if Richa Ghosh could have come in a little bit earlier, when Jemimah Rodrigues was struggling to get the ball away. So those are little points to look back on,” Bishop, an ICC Women’s T20 World Cup expert, told IANS on JioStar's Media Day on Monday.

As per statistics from CricViz, India had a few positives – Shafali Verma having a Power-play strike-rate of 171 and evolving as an all-rounder, while Sree Charani has been the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 14 scalps. But what stood out as a concern was the misfiring middle-order and constant changes in batting positions.

It meant key mainstays like Jemimah Rodrigues, Yastika Bhatia, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh, and Deepti Sharma struggled to find a consistent rhythm. India were also forced to field a different bowling combination in all five matches, including a pace bowling attack and new ball takers. Injuries to Amanjot Kaur, Kashvee Gautam, and Shreyanka Patil also upset the balance.

In fielding, India dropped 12 catches across the tournament, including shelling four chances against Bangladesh and giving veteran Marizanne Kapp twin reprieves.

When questioned on whether a target of 170 was a par score against Australia at Lord’s and whether bringing Kranti Gaud in place of Nandni Sharma was a good move, Bishop noted that India needed to aim significantly higher to put the six-time champions under pressure.

"If 170 was par, it was a better total. I think that you had to aim for that sort of total. That's where I suppose the discussions will be around Jemimah's knock. She eventually had to retire out, and Richa Ghosh came in and didn't have the chance, apart from a ball or two, to flex her muscles.

"But that's the sort of power that you wanted to utilise a little bit more of in hindsight. So I think that total would have been about par if I had just gone back to the result of it. You want to be above those given the power of Australia's batting, and the other point about it. So I would agree with you, India needed to be above that 170, right?

"What I will say is that even for the injuries that India have had with their bowling pre-tournament and with Shreyanka Patil being injured in the tournament, India still need to find a couple of seamers before the next T20 WC comes and through the phase until then, a couple of potent seamers (need to be unearthed). There has to be a deliberate hunt to get those effective seamers to go with their spinners."

Responding to queries about why India still lacks format-specific players despite the Women's Premier League (WPL) being around for four years, Bishop defended the tournament, explaining that it is still in its infancy and needs time to yield full results.

“I think you're starting to see some of the benefits of the WPL. It's still a very young tournament. A handful of years ago, it was still very young, but you're starting to see some spin-offs of that, where young women in India are starting to see more and more cricket as a career option. Not just internationally, but on the domestic front, and I think that stretches across the world as well.

"A lot of players across the world want to play the WPL in addition to the WBBL, in addition to playing professionally in England, for example. We get several players now coming out to the WCPL in the Caribbean. So, WPL, given the vastness of the nation, is a great thing. But you're still going to have to wait a little bit longer to see the full impact of that.”

Drawing a parallel with the Indian Premier League (IPL) and citing the WCPL’s example, Bishop pointed out that the evolution of domestic talent takes time, and the WPL must be structured to groom Indian players for high-stakes roles.

"If I may just draw, and now may not be a good time for it, given that India lost a couple of games to Ireland in the last couple of T20s, but those are blips. I believe those are blips, right? What we've seen with the IPL is that initially, in the IPL, several finishers with the bat and a number of excellent all-rounders were drafted in from across the cricketing globe to franchises to take up key positions to try to win games.

"Now we're starting to see a little bit of an evolution in that where India are starting to produce their own all-rounders who are finishing games with the bat and who can bowl a bit of seam, and that still needs growth. So I think in the WCPL, you still have to position teams in a way where you want the overseas players coming in, but also ensure that, as T20 internationals demand, a number of your key positions still have to be influenced by Indian selections.

"If I may just draw, and now may not be a good time for it, given that India lost a couple of games to Ireland in the last couple of T20s, but those are blips. I believe those are blips, right? What we've seen with the IPL is that initially, in the IPL, several finishers with the bat and a number of excellent all-rounders were drafted in from across the cricketing globe to franchises to take up key positions to try to win games.

Watch ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals, Australia vs West Indies on June 30, and England vs South Africa on July 2, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network.

Article Source: IANS