With two consecutive defeats, first at the hands of South Africa, and then Australia, India appears to be in a perilous position at the ICC Women’s World Cup.
Although they are within the top 4 on the points table as of this writing, languishing at the 4th spot with just 4 points in the bank is far from secure, especially with England (currently second) and New Zealand (at the 5th spot just a point behind) as their next opponents.
With that said, let’s take a closer look at India’s ICC Women’s World Cup semi final qualification scenario from where things stand at the moment.
Can India Still Make It To Women’s WC Semis?
India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, have played 4 out of their 7 scheduled games so far at the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, winning two and losing two so far.
After defeats against South Africa and Australia, they are now gearing up to first take on England, this Sunday, and then New Zealand, on October 23, 2025.
Both of these teams will be challenging opponents, and losses against them could mean an early end to their World Cup dreams at home. Hence, India must secure at least one win from these matches, preferably New Zealand, as they are currently above them, both on points and the Net Run Rate (NRR), and a victory would provide a comfortable breathing space.
Their last opponent is Bangladesh, a side that has only won a single match out of the 5 they’ve played thus far. However, even they cannot be taken lightly being in the spot India have found themselves right now, and this fixture, too should be treated as a must-win.
Simply put, India must win at least two of their remaining three matches to keep their semi-final hopes firmly in their own hands. A solitary win might still keep them in contention, but it would open the door to a dangerous tangle of Net Run Rate equations and reliance on other results.
India’s ICC Women’s World Cup Squad
Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Uma Chetry, Renuka Singh Thakur, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud.
Reserves: Tejal Hasabnis, Prema Rawat, Priya Mishra, Minnu Mani, Sayali Satghare
