India haven’t won a Women’s World Cup match against a SENA nation since Harmanpreet Kaur’s iconic 171 against Australia. They’ll have a chance to end that streak when they face New Zealand in Navi Mumbai on Thursday.
India’s road to the semifinals couldn’t be clearer — or more thrilling. A win against New Zealand on Thursday would punch their ticket to the Women’s World Cup semis and make their final league clash against Bangladesh almost academic. From there, it’s all about two knockout games, two steps to glory — no matter how the group stage went.
But there’s one big hurdle standing in their way — and it’s a stubborn one. To seal that semifinal berth now, India must break an eight-year-old curse. The Women in Blue have long struggled against SENA nations (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) on the World Cup stage.
Remember Harmanpreet Kaur’s jaw-dropping 171 not out against Australia at Derby in 2017? That innings wasn’t just iconic — it was historic. It also remains the last time India beat a SENA side at a World Cup. Since then, eight losses on the trot have haunted them.
Now, in what could be Harmanpreet’s final World Cup, the stage is set once again. Can the skipper summon that same fire and script another unforgettable chapter? Thursday could be the night India exorcise their SENA demons once and for all.
THE SIXTH BOWLER CONUNDRUM
Throughout the tournament, India have wrestled with one persistent concern — the missing sixth bowling option. Harmanpreet Kaur has often stepped in to fill the gap, but the balance hasn’t quite clicked. After their bowlers struggled to contain Australia, India made a bold call – benching one of their key batters, Jemimah Rodrigues, to bring in seamer Renuka Thakur.
Renuka, who’s been in and out of the side since her return last month, was drafted back to add depth to the bowling attack. It was a tough decision, one that head coach Amol Muzumdar acknowledged was dictated by the conditions.
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“Well, to be fair, Jemi has been a very important player—an integral part of the side we’ve built. But sometimes, you have to make tough calls. As a team, we’ve decided to go match by match, and for that particular game against England, we felt the conditions in Indore required a sixth bowling option,” Muzumdar said in the pre-match press conference.
“Given the ground and the situation, we believed that was the better call on the day. It was undoubtedly a tough decision—one of the toughest—but sometimes, those are the calls you have to make,” Muzumdar added.
Heading into the crucial clash against New Zealand, there’s growing curiosity over whether Jemimah will reclaim her spot. A return could bolster India’s batting, but for now, her inclusion remains a matter of speculation.
