Harmanpreet Kaur “will make a difference after the 2017 World Cup”, but the vulnerable striker: WV Raman

The ICC 2025 women’s World Cup is fast approaching, and Team India, as always, has aligned a strong team. But would it be good enough to lift the trophy, it is something that we will know only a month later. The striker is a visible force with Spin bowling, while versatile players and pacers could be a little worrying.

Indian strikes strength and weakness too

But the former coach of India women, WV Raman, who spent considerable time with the team a few years ago, thinks a little differently. In an interaction with Insideport, he stressed that, although the striker-largely because of Smriti Mandhana and other fate as a positive, this could also lead to a fall.

The SouthPaw, with Pratika Rawal, was in such a formidable form, that some of the others may not be able to correspond or not fail in crisis situations. “In this World Cup, their strength would be their weakness. The striker is very strong, which could be a problem. It depends on the combination they play. And also the approach they undertake. What I mean is that players cannot allow the tempo to slow down,” said Raman.

The average order must be well in the 2025 women’s world cup

He continued by adding that even if the average order has tastes of Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh and even Deepti Sharma, but an exposure in crunch situations is necessary, which may not have happened. “Openers provide a fantastic platform. Smriti and Partika have been excellent, because of which the gaps in the unit have been overshadowed. We do not yet see the average order overcome a delicate situation. This is what I meant, when I said, force could be a weakness.”

Harmanpreet Kaur “will make a difference”

Meanwhile, there have also been substantial criticism on Harmanpreet Kaur. Raman has rejected all the concerns of form, linked to the captain. “Curiously, in the last 20 rounds she has played, she has an average of 40 years and obtained a few hundred. In fact, she played a brilliant round in the last Odi VS Australia, where she marked fifty, but the Channel was overshadowed by Smriti.

Rightly so. Harman showed a reasonably good form in 50 format. In 2024, in 12 games, she scored 396 points at an average of 40, including a ton and fifty, and in 2025, in 11 games, she has 346 points. This also includes a ton and fifty.