“They don't depend on one or two players,” Harmanpreet Kaur after India’s 9-run loss to Australia in Women’s T20 WC match

Harmanpreet criticized her team's lack of collective effort after losing a crucial match to Australia.

India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur expressed her frustration with the lack of collective effort after her side succumbed to 9-run defeat in a crucial Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 match in Sharjah on Sunday (October 13).

With this loss, India’s hopes of progressing to the semi-finals took a significant hit. The Women in Blue can make it to the last-four stage only if Pakistan beat New Zealand by a small margin in their last Group A match.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Harmanpreet didn’t mince his words as she said that Australia don’t depend on one or two players unlike her team.

"I think their entire team contributes, they don't depend on one or two players, they have a lot of all-rounders who contribute...They have a batter who can take the target of power play. They don't have anything fixed. According to pitch, according to situation they can make a plan and play," Harmanpreet stated.

"They didn't give away easy runs and made it difficult. They are an experienced side...It was a chaseable total. When me and Deepti were batting, we couldn't hit a few loose balls. We can learn a lot from Australia. Whatever was in our hands, we were trying to do that but that's something not in our control. If we had an opportunity to play another game, it would have been great. Whoever plays well will deserve to be there," she added.

Coming to the match, Indian bowlers restricted Australia to a modest 151, showcasing an impressive performance. Renuka Singh (2-24) and Deepti Sharma (2-28) returned with two scalps each while Radha Yadav, Pooja Vastrakar and Shreyanka Patil bagged wicket apiece.

However, the Indian batting line-up failed to rise to the occasion. Harmanpreet stood out with a resilient 54* off 47 balls, but she received little support from the other batters. Deepti was the next best scorer with 29 runs to his name off 25 balls.

The situation became especially dire in the final over, with India needing 14 runs to win. Harmanpreet, unfortunately, managed to face only two deliveries as four wickets crumbled around her.

This defeat has put India on the brink of elimination as their fate now rests on Pakistan defeating New Zealand.