Heading into the third and final ODI on Tuesday, January 2, Captain Harmanpreet Kaur is under pressure to improve her batting form. India is desperate to snap a nine-game home losing streak against a dominant Australian side and reclaim some dignity. Kaur has been a steady leader during a home season that saw some historic Test successes, but she has personally struggled to score runs, reaching double digits only three times in eight innings, with a high of 49 against England.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur must focus on her batting form as the Indian Women’s side attempts to reclaim pride and stop a nine-match losing record at home against a dominant Australia in the third and final ODI on January 2, Tuesday. Kaur has led her side excellently well in a long home season, with a couple of historic Test results, but she has also struggled with the bat throughout this time. Harmanpreet has scored in double digits only three times in eight innings this season, with her best being 49 against England in a one-off Test.
Kaur's lack of form was apparent even in India's historic Test win over Australia, where she was dismissed for zero in the first innings. This slump has continued in the ODI series, with the right-hander scoring just 9 and 5 in the first two matches. While Australia has already secured the series with a 2-0 lead, the contrast is stark: India excelled in the Test format using home conditions but has looked fragile and inconsistent in white-ball cricket.
India's issues in the limited-overs format were clear in the first ODI, where a record score of 282/8 wasn't enough to stop Australia from winning by six wickets. Fielding proved to be another nightmare in the second game, as seven dropped catches handed Australia a narrow three-run victory. To counter this, India has moved Richa Ghosh to the No. 3 spot, hoping her aggressive style will bring some much-needed explosive power to the top of the order.
The challenge is immense, as the Indian women's team hasn't beaten Australia in an ODI since February 2007—a drought spanning 16 years. The 'Women in Blue' are now fighting to break this curse in the final match and avoid being completely swept in the series.