After successive losses, will India switch plans or persist?

Against South Africa and Australia, India women looked short on bowling resources at crunch situations

- 

Two defeats on the trot, a strategy under scrutiny and a team looking a tad unsure of its most trusted formula - it's not the situation India would have expected to be in at the midway stage of the World Cup. You could tell from the faces of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and deputy Smriti Mandhana during the last few overs against Australia that the mood in the Indian camp is about to become grim.

And understandably so. The side that looked buoyant after two wins to start with suddenly has a cloud of uncertainty hovering over it. India finished the Vizag leg with two consecutive losses, staring at uncomfortable questions at a stage when they should have staked a stronger claim for a semifinal berth.

The sticky situation they find themselves in can be troubling not just because of the points table but the timing too. This is probably the worst stage in a World Cup to second guess team combination and strategy. As other contenders strengthen claims for a top four spot, the co-hosts have been backed into a corner, searching for better balance in the side.

The World Cup is rarely the stage to experiment. It is a time for clarity, about what works the best with Plan B and C too ready if the original approach does not click.

With three group stage games still to go, however, it may not be too late for India to course correct.