It has been a gruelling home season for India, with two Tests and nine white-ball games against England and Australia over the past month. The WPL in 2024 is the only T20 cricket that the India players are set to play till September when South Africa are due for a tour of three T20Is ahead of the the Women's T20 World Cup (as per the FTP). Here are the key takeaways from their T20I series against Australia
Harmanpreet's lean run
The form of India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has been in focus following six single-digit scores in the white-ball series against Australia. A look at the bare numbers would show that she has scored in double-figures only three times in nine outings since the T20 World Cup last year. Moreover, some of her captaincy calls have also come under the scanner. Dropping her might not be the solution since India do not play for another eight months or so, and by then the T20 World Cup would be around the corner.
The WPL will act as a final barometer to judge Harmanpreet, who will lead defending champions Mumbai Indians. There, she essays a role similar to that in the Indian team - leading the team and batting at No. 4. Tough calls may have to be taken if her slump continues there.
Sadhu and Patil impress
India's love for spin-heavy XIs is no secret. But against Australia, they fielded as many as four seamers and just two spinners. With India moving on from Shikha Pandey, Renuka Singh has cemented her spot as the frontline fast bowler with Pooja Vastrakar for company.
Titas Sadhu, who starred at the inaugural Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup early last year, has made a stirring case for the third seamer's slot with strong performances against Australia. Her four-for in the opening T20I gave India their only win in the white-ball series against Australia. She mostly bowled impeccable lines and lengths and often had batters in trouble with her change of pace in good batting conditions. She was also the most economical India seamer.
Like Sadhu, Shreyanka Patil also made a good step up after impressing in WPL 2023. That she made the XI in all games despite Deepti Sharma's presence showed the faith the team had in her. While Deepti is known to offer control by bowling in consistent areas, Patil is different in that she relies on variations in flight and dip. She possesses a solid yorker and a calm head, which explains why she bowled at the death in each of the matches.
Deepti and the batting question
Deepti is a quality bowler and she can make the XI on that skill alone. But time and again, India have trusted her to bat at No. 6 in a role that doesn't come naturally to her. She scored fifties in back-to-back Tests but has found it difficult to develop another gear to her white-ball batting. Even UP Warriorz had to rely mainly on Alyssa Healy, Tahlia McGrath and Grace Harris in the WPL 2023 for the batting fireworks.
The twin series at home were the first for the new coaching setup led by Amol Muzumdar. That could, perhaps, explain why Deepti was persisted at No. 6 despite her diminishing returns with the bat. She faced 45 balls in the T20Is and finished the series with a strike rate of 97.77. That gave little time for Vastrakar and Patil, a pair who could've potentially helped India score more first-innings runs in the second and third T20Is.
Mandhana not converting starts
Smriti Mandhana got starts in five of the six T20Is this home season, but the big runs have eluded the opener. In each of the three outings against Australia, she picked a boundary rider perfectly after getting her eye in. The mantra earlier was to rein Mandhana in and dismiss her with Ashleigh Gardner's offbreaks; the India batter managed 31 off 36 balls against Gardner for no dismissals. But she managed only one half-century - and a couple of scores in forties - in 12 T20I innings since the T20 World Cup last year. Her form is not yet a concern for India and the WPL will present her an opportunity to get among the runs again.