Women’s ODI World Cup 2025: Time for Harmanpreet Kaur to come good as India’s campaign hangs in balance

The all-important clash between India and England at the Holkar Stadium here on Sunday brings together two interesting individuals – Harmanpreet Kaur and Nat Sciver-Brunt. They have shared a dressing room for three seasons of the Women’s Premier League at the Mumbai Indians and won two titles.

The pair was in the middle of a three-ODI series, which went India’s way 2-1 earlier this year, in the run-up to their maiden ODI World Cup campaigns as captains.

What sets them apart right now is confidence.

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Sciver-Brunt will enter this clash with an unbeaten England side looking to seal semifinal qualification. It has been challenged to the brink of defeat, and either found a way to win or was saved by the subcontinental monsoon.

India and Harmanpreet, meanwhile, are left dealing with the anxieties of two losses on the trot – to South Africa and Australia – and needing victories in their remaining games to keep their fate away from tournament mathematics.

Come Sunday and it might come down to these two once more. Sciver-Brunt has been England’s batting anchor. Fatima Sana’s brilliant inswinger to dismiss her for just four runs aside, she has looked comfortable against seam and spin, her run-a-ball 117 against Sri Lanka putting her repertoire on show.

Her solidity – alongside former skipper Heather Knight – papers over how brittle the rest of the lineup has been. Sciver-Brunt is also handy as a seam-bowling allrounder, with four wickets to her name in the tournament so far, allowing England to field a spin-heavy lineup without compromising on batting or pace reserves.

Harmanpreet, meanwhile, has had a rough ride, on home turf no less. With a top score of 22, she has not been able to stamp her authority with the bat yet. She has also come under scrutiny for an uncharacteristic passivity in marshalling the field during the tournament.

While the Indian think tank is more than capable of strategic fixes, it’s Harmanpreet the batter who needs special attention. She is a player who thrives in World Cups, where her average – 45.09 – is better than her career average (36.69) in the format. In fact, her most memorable knock has come in the World Cups: the iconic unbeaten 171 against Australia in 2017.

When the Indian batting effort finds itself floundering for the most part, it could use Harmanpreet’s ability to turn pressure on the opponent when she gets going. She knows that too, which perhaps explains a long solo training session the 36-year-old had on Thursday in preparation for the game.

Harmanpreet Kaur after bringing up her century against England in the 2013 World Cup at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai
| Photo Credit:
THE HINDU ARCHIVES

There are plenty of reference points Harmanpreet can turn back to. Her counter-attacking unbeaten 107 against England in the 2013 showpiece event is one of them. She held off a marauding Katherine Brunt (now Sciver-Brunt) and CThere’s also the 84-ball 102 she smashed against the same opponent earlier this year, another sublime effort where she was at her big-hitting best. Her half-century in that record-breaking third ODI against Australia a month ago was crucial to helping India stay in the chase for as long as it did.

With captains across the spectrum – from Alyssa Healy and Laura Wolvaardt to Sophie Devine – taking charge of their side’s fortunes in key encounters, India will need that unforgiving aggressor on a potentially flat Indore track in a must-win game to steady its campaign.

Published on Oct 17, 2025