Top-order aggression liberates India Women

The first summer downpour descended on Bangalore soon after India Women wrapped up a comprehensive win over Bangladesh Women. Mithali Raj looked up to the heavens and closed her eyes, soaking in the cool air and smell of rain. Then she had a hearty laugh with her team-mates, posed for the pictures and the selfie. Finally, she walked back to the dressing room for a small celebration. The wide grin on Raj's face was unmistakable as she made her way to the post-match press conference.

The pressure of playing at home, seeing themselves on billboards, and trying to live up to the hype around them for the first time at a global event should have been draining enough to put India in a cocoon. But the team responded well and intimidated the opposition, something that hasn't always been associated with India.

The expression of confidence and authority is to do with their batting transformation, particularly upfront. The Powerplay witnessed even the composed Raj deviate from her natural game as she tried to hit her way out. And more often than not, it's the first six overs that have sealed India's fate, whether they have been batting first or chasing.

Something about the Powerplay has resulted either in a meltdown or a circumspect start. It certainly was that way in 2012 and 2014 World T20s, when India crashed out of the group stages. Invariably, India would struggle to break the opening deadlock to set the tempo, for the strategy was always about preserving wickets at the start to ensure they are afloat halfway through. There has been an air of hesitancy. The belligerence was missing not because batsmen were not capable, but because of the fear of playing one shot too many and perishing.

But the calming influence of Smriti Mandhana, who is old school in many ways, has given the openers the cushion and confidence to go out and play the way they want to. On Tuesday, all those niggling thoughts were thrown out of the window as India raced to 50 by the sixth over.

While Raj's game was about using her steely wrists and timing, which most batsmen from Hyderabad seemed to be gifted with, Vellaswamy Vanitha's gung-ho approach displayed a fine cocktail of fineness and explosive power at the top. The approach has worked for England and Australia, and Raj sees no reason why it shouldn't for India.

"If you are going to have batters who are going to go after the bowling in the Powerplay, there is an amount of risk involved," Raj explained, when asked about the shift from a circumspect to an aggressive approach. "Vanitha has done well in Australia. We tried to use her in that role against Sri Lanka, and she has done well. With this plan, even if you lose a wicket, we know we have a proper stable batsman in Smriti coming in at No. 3. That is why we have certain roles for all our top order batters, so that they can go out there with a clear picture in mind and know what is expected of them."

Sitting next to Raj with a chuckle was Harmanpreet Kaur, the vice-captain, who is in rich form, with scores of 40, 36, 41 and 50 in her last four international innings. Last month, she made a nerveless 46 in Adelaide as India pulled off their highest-ever T20I chase, against Australia, to pave the way for their first series win against the three-time World T20 champions.

Kaur, along with Veda Krishnamurthy and Vanitha, symbolise India's modern approach - cautious but aggressive - which has become the hallmark of their game. Kaur, like her captain, has a method to her madness. The calmness that she exudes even while attempting the big shots stems from her experience of playing top-flight cricket for over seven years. Most noticeable was her temperament - not one shot was played in desperation even when there were pockets of tight bowling, as momentum seamlessly switched over from one batsman to another. Like Raj, she underlined Mandhana's importance.

"Two years back, we were missing an opener. Vanitha and Smriti's performance has not only given the middle order confidence, but also reduced our dependency on Mithali, which wasn't the case before," Kaur reasoned. "With the start we had today, it was easy for one of us to attack, while the other hangs around."

When asked about her six hitting, Kaur played it down. Clearing the long ropes was a part of their pre-match drill; they spent a sizable amount of time at it on the eve of the match. As much as it may have helped, Raj believes the confidence stems from winning.

"More than training [in a specific way], the way the girls have done against Australia have given them confidence and self-belief," she said. "Harman and Veda (Krishnamurthy) have done well, the way Vani (Vanitha) has come out and given the kind of performance the team requires is fantastic. When you have the self-belief and rhythm which the whole team finds, it's just a matter of momentum and how you take it forward on a particular day. That's how it worked for us today."

It's fair to say India weren't stretched a great deal on Tuesday. There will be a time in the tournament where they will be made to draw on their reserve power. While the true test will come then, a changed approach has given the batting a liberated feeling, one that could be the key if they are to mount a challenge for the title.