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India’s Belfast Debacle Demands More Than Soul Searching

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Shreyas Iyer was bowled by Jai Moondra. (PC: BCCI) Lost at Lord’s, beaten in Belfast. That’s how 28 June 2026 will be remembered. Of course, for most Indian supporters, it will go down as one of the darkest days in Indian cricket. The defending ODI World Champions crashed out of the World Cup after losing to Australia. Given how the Women in Blue have fared over the last few years, that defeat did not surprise many. What did, however, was the series defeat to Ireland. Until three days ago, Ireland had never beaten India in international cricket, and now they have whitewashed them. That brought India’s glorious run of 16 consecutive unbeaten T20I series to an end. What the SENA countries could not do, an Irish side did. Remember, they were without as many as three of their six first-choice players, including veterans Paul Stirling and Mark Adair. Jai Moonda, who won the Player of the Series award, made his debut in the first T20I and made a telling impact in both matches. This defeat...
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From Sharjah to Lord’s: India’s T20 World Cup exit repeats the pain of 2024

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    Image: BCCI, Women Snehasis Mukherjee, London India’s campaign in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 came to an end with yet another group-stage exit. In a must-win final group match against Australia at Lord’s, they suffered a six-wicket defeat and failed to qualify for the semi-finals. More disappointingly, it marked India’s second successive group-stage exit in the tournament, and once again Australia were at the centre of the heartbreak. India began the tournament on a positive note, defeating Pakistan and the Netherlands. But in a group featuring two other strong sides, South Africa and Australia, they knew they had to beat at least one of them to stay in contention. Unfortunately, despite being in control for large parts of the game against South Africa, Harmanpreet Kaur and her side let the match slip away before returning to winning ways against Bangladesh. That left India needing just one more win against Australia at Lord’s to secure a pla...
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India Must Confront Fear of Failure After Another T20 World Cup Exit

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  Image: BCCI Women Boria Majumdar in London As the dust settles on India’s defeat and we come to terms with yet another T20 World Cup exit, it is important to keep calm and exercise restraint. No one is hurting more than the players, and it is important that we empathise while still asking the tough questions. While there is no need for an over-the-top reaction, this is the time to take stock and introspect. What went wrong, and why does it keep happening to the women’s team in the T20 format? The biggest difference between Australia’s approach and India’s was the fear of failure. Australia played without fear, while India appeared scared of losing. That made Australia aggressive and India defensive. Do Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues have the shots? Absolutely. We have seen them play with freedom on numerous occasions. However, Smriti’s desire to play herself in and both batters’ reluctance to attack early suggested they were trying too hard not to fail. Perhaps, in thi...
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IND vs IRE: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi omitted again-India suffer T20I whitewash against Ireland

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India in Belfast (PC: BCCI) India suffered a T20I whitewash against Ireland. After losing the first game by 34 runs, they failed to chase down 155 in the second, with the hosts securing a one-run victory. After suffering home series whitewashes in Tests against New Zealand and South Africa under Gautam Gambhir as head coach, this was another disappointing result. More on that later. Earlier, Jai Moondra bowled a length delivery on middle stump and got the ball to jag back off the seam. Sanju Samson was beaten by the movement and looked plumb. The Indian opener, though, decided to review. Ball-tracking rubber-stamped the on-field umpire’s decision. Samson departed for a golden duck. Yet again, Moondra dismissed the right-handed batter with the first ball. When the ball moves, Samson is usually out of his comfort zone. Inconsistency has been an issue throughout his career, which is one reason why he has played only 64 T20Is despite making his debut in the format 11 years ago. At ...
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Aryan Cariappa, Avanish Rao star as Ranga Reddy Risers outclass Palamuru Strikers

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Aryan Cariappa of Ranga Reddy Risers bowls during the Match 13 of the Sreenidhi University TG20 between Palamuru Strikers and Ranga Reddy Risers at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, India, on June 27, 2026. Photo by Sumeet Parmar / CREIMAS Ranga Reddy Risers produced a clinical all-round display to defeat Palamuru Strikers by six wickets in the second match of the day at the Hyderabad Cricket Association’s Sreenidhi University TG20 on Friday. Aryan Cariappa’s four-wicket haul set up the victory before Avanish Rao and Gnana Prakash Reddy capped it with the bat. It was a sticky start to the innings for the Strikers, who lost two wickets in as many overs to leave them reeling at 2/2. B Punnaiah struck first by removing Chaitanya Reddy (0 off 1), before Tanay Thyagarajann dismissed Pragnay Reddy (1 off 3) in the following over. Vignesh Reddy then attempted to rebuild alongside Rohit Rayudu, counterattacking with a six and a four to lift the score to 26/2 after fiv...
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India vs Australia: Three X-Factors Who Must Deliver in India’s T20 World Cup Decider at Lord’s

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Shafali, Charani, and Kranti for India (PC: BCCI Women) India face Australia in their final group-stage fixture knowing there is no room for error. It is a do-or-die contest. If South Africa defeat Bangladesh and India lose to Australia, Harmanpreet Kaur’s side will be knocked out of the Women’s T20 World Cup. Pressure often brings out the very best in elite athletes, and India will need exactly that on Sunday. Every player will have a role to play, but there are three X-factor players who could prove decisive in taking India across the finish line. Shafali Verma (PC: BCCI Women) Shafali Verma Shafali Verma heads into the contest on the back of an impressive half-century against Bangladesh. However, her role extends well beyond her batting. Following her successful spell during the 2025 ODI World Cup, she has increasingly been entrusted with bowling responsibilities, including inside the powerplay. With Beth Mooney’s well-documented discomfort against spin early in her innings, I...
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Women’s T20 World Cup: All eyes on Lord’s as Group A semi-final race goes down to the wire

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India, Australia, South Africa, and Bangladesh (PC: ICC) Lord’s, the most iconic of cricket grounds, is all set to host two blockbuster matches in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. From Group A, four of the six teams are still in the race for the semi-finals, and all four will be in action on Sunday. South Africa will first take on Bangladesh before India face Australia in the second match of the day. Australia are unbeaten so far, and another victory would seal their place in the semi-finals. However, if they lose, net run rate (NRR) could become the deciding factor, as India and South Africa (provided the Proteas defeat Bangladesh) would also both finish on eight points. For India, the equation is simple. They need to beat Australia and hope Bangladesh stun South Africa. That would eliminate any NRR calculations and send the Women in Blue through to the semi-finals. For South Africa, the priority is to beat Bangladesh, preferably by a significant margin, to further improve their NRR...
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