ICC Women's World Cup 2025: Can India Women still qualify for the semifinals?
Despite claiming an ideal start to their World Cup campaign at home, India Women have let the charge slip away. The India vs Australia clash in the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 marked the hosts’ second consecutive defeat in the tournament. With two losses in four matches so far, the journey ahead has begun to look uncertain. Now, four matches still remain to be played at the group-stage. Meanwhile, Harmanpreet Kaur and her team need to quickly rectify their flaws and form to capitalise on the slim chance that remains to qualify for the World Cup semifinals.
India vs Australia clash derails the hosts' ICC Women's World Cup 2025 campaign
Arriving in Vizag to face the defending champions, India Women put themselves in a fighting position after being asked to bat first. Smriti Mandhana finally found her mojo in the 2025 Women’s World Cup, scoring the first half-century of the season in the India vs Australia clash. At the other end, Pritika Rawal registered her maiden World Cup fifty as India staged a strong start to their innings. However, the lower order failed to capitalise on the platform, with the Women in Blue being bowled out for 330 in the final overs.
Alyssa Healy led Australia Women from the front, scoring a match-winning century for the team. By beating the hosts, the defending champions set a new record for the highest-ever chase in a World Cup edition. Meanwhile, for the second game in a row, India Women failed to defend competitive totals in the ongoing Women’s World Cup 2025 on home soil.
Following a narrow defeat to South Africa in Visakhapatnam, where the visitors crossed the finish line with seven balls to spare, the home team endured yet another heartbreak at the same venue. This time, Australia mounted a record-breaking chase of 331 with an over remaining. Though the successive setbacks haven’t altered India’s position on the points table, their semifinal aspirations have begun to slip away.
How can India Women still qualify for the World Cup semifinals?
India had opened their Women's World Cup campaign on a promising note, first registering a 59-run win in a rain-affected contest against Sri Lanka in Guwahati, and then overpowering Pakistan by 88 runs in Colombo. However, the side’s batting vulnerabilities were exposed once they faced tougher opposition. Against South Africa, the top order faltered, while in the clash with Australia Women, the lower middle order folded for a mere 36 runs in the space of seven overs, handing the momentum away.
Despite the consecutive defeats, India still occupy third place on the points table with four points from as many matches and a healthy net run rate of +0.682. Yet, their campaign has been left on shaky ground. After predictable wins over Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the next phase was always expected to be a testing one, and Harmanpreet Kaur led unit has stumbled in the first two of those crucial encounters.
Their hopes now rest on the remaining fixtures, a showdown with second-placed, unbeaten England in Indore on Sunday, followed by a must-win clash against New Zealand in Navi Mumbai on October 23. The qualification scenario for World Cup semifinals is quite straightforward from here. India Women must win all three of their remaining matches, including the final group game against Bangladesh, to virtually assure themselves a spot in the top four and, by extension, a place in the knockouts.
However, unless India resolve their recurring batting frailties and reconsider their five-bowler combination, overcoming England could prove a formidable challenge. A defeat in Indore would leave their World Cup semifinals dream hanging by a thread. Meanwhile, both Australia and England are in prime position to cement their semifinal berths this week, with upcoming fixtures against struggling Bangladesh and Pakistan before facing each other on October 22, a clash likely to determine the top two spots on the table.
Adding to India’s worries is South Africa’s favorable schedule ahead. They are set to meet the underperforming trio of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan in their next three games, and a hat-trick of wins could strengthen their hold on a semifinal place. Thus, if India fall short against England, their progression hopes will hinge entirely on the New Zealand match, a contest that could turn decisive, especially as the White Ferns will enter it after facing Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
