The Indian womenâs cricket team was considered to be the favourites to win the ICC Womenâs T20 World Cup in Australia. The assumption was made very rightly so as Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. looked unstoppable throughout the tournament.

They were the only team to win every match that they played during the league round and made their way to the final as rain washed over South Africaâs dreams in the semi finals.

However, the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was a whole different story.

Congratulations Australia on winning the #T20WorldCup!

Not the result we wanted today but we are proud of the way #TeamIndia played throughout the tournament. #INDvAUS

Scorecard https://t.co/oNy9gq275c pic.twitter.com/uz6e0IKFUY

â BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) March 8, 2020

After losing the toss, Kaurâs side was asked to bowl first and the downfall of the team, in the moment when it mattered the most, began. From the jump, the Australians looked determined to establish a massive score for their opponents. 

Openers Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney, both of whom were given extra lives at the inception of their innings with dropped catches, went on to score 75 and 78 runs respectively. It was the ideal start to the finals that the Aussie would have hoped for.

Openers power Australia to 184/4 in the #T20WorldCup final

Beth Mooney - 78* | Alyssa Healy - 75https://t.co/rbnmWmvj49 pic.twitter.com/yoQlSufjRn

â Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) March 8, 2020

Even though the rest of the batswomen that followed were not able to perform like their predecessors, the damage was already done. Kaurâs women had to chase a mammoth total of 184 runs within 20 overs to win their first World Cup title. 

Indiaâs opening batswoman Shafali Verma, who was phenomenal throughout the World Cup and achieved the number one spot in ICC World Rankings for Women in T20I, was dismissed in just two runs, Smriti Mandhana couldnât add more than 11 runs to Indiaâs total, Jemimah Rodriguez went away for a duck and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur disappointed with a four-run innings.

Game over for India?

Jess Jonassen has the big wicket of Harmanpreet Kaur, 30 for 4 https://t.co/64krkQLr7q #T20WorldCup #FillTheMCG pic.twitter.com/srWxwj4tlK

â ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) March 8, 2020

As dominating as India looked throughout the tournament, they looked like a completely different, young and inexperienced team against Mag Lanningâs squad.

Losing in the match which matters the most, after being dominating throughout the world cup tournament, has been a recurring theme for all the Indian cricket teams be it Virat Kohliâs side, Priyamg Gargâs U19 squad or Kaurâs womenâs team.

Back in 2019, Virat Kohli and the Men in Blue remained unbeaten throughout the ICC World Cup 2019 in England and Wales. They fell to Kane Williamsonâs New Zealand without even offering them a close contest.

Harmanpreet Kaur in this WC, Priyam Garg in U-19 WC and Kohli recently.
Indian captains aren't having a great time.

â Kaushal Baid (@crickaushal168) March 8, 2020

In January 2020, Priyam Garg and Yashasvi Jaiswalâs roster looked like the team to reckon with in South Africa but none of the âhard-hittingâ batters managed to keep their wicket against the Bangladesh bowling attack. And in March, 2020, the womenâs team failed to even reach the 100-run mark before losing all 10 wickets in an upsetting loss.

Yes, they played well throughout the tournament, yes they were the youngest of all the 10 teams, and yes, their journey to the final was heroic. The future might be bright for Indian womenâs cricket but they will have to wait for two more years to prove their worth.

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