With three games into their Women’s World Cup 2025 campaign, India have won two and lost one, but their top-order batting continues to be a worrying sign. The pattern is hard to ignore – India were reduced to 124/6 against Sri Lanka, 203/7 by Pakistan, and most recently, 102/6 by South Africa. While the middle and lower order has bailed them out on occasion, the early collapses are putting the team under constant pressure.

At the heart of the issue is the poor form of India’s most experienced top-order trio – Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Jemimah Rodrigues. In total, they have managed only 135 runs across nine combined innings so far. Mandhana and Harmanpreet, known for their reliability, have failed to build on their starts, while Jemimah has just one noteworthy knock under her

See Full Page