After the 58-run defeat in their Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign opener, every game became a must-win for India. They were expected to boost their net run rate (NRR) but their batters, especially openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma struggled to score at a brisk pace on slow Dubai pitches. While Mandhana admitted that NRR did play on their minds during the Pakistan game, their focus is now on winning against Sri Lanka than anything else.
"It [NRR] was playing in our minds last match against Pakistan," vice-captain Mandhana said during a pre-match press conference. "But the conditions here in UAE are quite different, and scoring quickly isn't as easy as it may seem."
Mandhana recalled getting frustrated after playing too many dot balls against Pakistan. The southpaw departed after scoring seven runs from 16 balls. She said that winning is team's priority rather than thinking about NRR.
"It's always a balance between doing what's best for the team and what we can do in terms of NRR. I started off fine in the last game but then consumed too many dot balls, which was frustrating," she said.
"We can't go into a match thinking we're just going to attack and cruise. The conditions and outfield are tough. Winning is our first priority, not thinking too much about NRR in these situations. The group is tricky, but it's still early in the tournament. We are taking it one day at a time."
NRR to play a big role after White Ferns’ defeat
Ahead of the game against Chamari Athapaththu-led Sri Lanka, the equation for India to reach the semifinal has becoming straightforward. Defending champions nullified the advantage New Zealand had by handing them a 60-run defeat. New Zealand's NRR is -0.050. India have an NRR of -1.217.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side needs to win their next two games against Sri Lanka and Australia by good margins to reach the last four. Had New Zealand not suffered a big loss, India would have been at a disadvantage as far as NRR is concerned. However, they would have hoped that New Zealand beat Australia to make their last game a virtual quarterfinal. New Zealand need big wins against Pakistan and Sri Lanka to keep their NRR over India’s and qualify for the last four.
