India slipped to a disappointing 8-wicket defeat against Australia in the opening ODI on 14th September 2025 in New Chandigarh to go 1-0 down in the ongoing three-match series, leaving skipper Harmanpreet Kaur with plenty to reflect upon, especially with the kind of lapses in the field, which eventually took the game away from the home side.
Defending 282, the hosts were outplayed by Alyssa Healy’s side, who wrapped up the chase with 35 balls to spare. Yet, in her post-match press conference, Harmanpreet underlined India’s growing belief, praised the contributions of young opener Pratika Rawal, and reiterated that the team is on the right path heading into the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup later this month.
Much of the conversation centred around Pratika Rawal, who scored a fluent 64 off 96 balls in the first ODI. The 25-year-old has quickly emerged as a key pillar in India’s batting, and Harmanpreet was effusive in her praise. “No doubt, whenever Shafali (Verma) is in the team, there is extra motivation. At the same time, Pratika Rawal has put up very good numbers and the amount of confidence she’s shown she brings stability to the team,” Harmanpreet said ahead of the 1st ODI.
Since her debut in December 2024 against West Indies at Vadodara, Rawal has amassed 767 runs in just 15 innings at a remarkable average of 54.78 and a strike rate of 85.22. Her tally includes six half-centuries and a century, underlining her consistency at the top. Alongside her batting contributions, she has chipped in with four wickets using her part-time off-spin. “Pratika has given us very good starts and done well. We are very dependent on her, and we know she will do well,” the skipper stressed, adding that Rawal’s emergence will help cushion the absence of Shafali Verma in the squad.
India’s loss will not dampen Harmanpreet’s conviction that her side can beat Australia on their day. Acknowledging the dominance of Healy’s team, she said, “Australia have had a good setup for some years now, and they have been dominating. But as a team, we have reached a level where everybody is thinking we can beat them, we have the belief that we can beat them on any day.”
Harmanpreet pointed to India’s recent progress, particularly their successful white-ball tour of England earlier this year, where they clinched the T20I series 3-2 and followed it up with a 2-1 ODI series win. “The process in the last one and a half years has been good; we have improved quite a lot. Even in England, we beat one of their best sides. These show that somewhere we are doing a lot of things right,” she reflected.
The Indian skipper highlighted the team’s hard work in addressing key areas like fielding and fitness, which have historically been Achilles’ heels. “We have worked a lot on fielding and fitness, and results are starting to show,” she noted, emphasising the growing cohesion within the group. According to Harmanpreet, the current squad has developed strong unity and belief: “This group of players have played together for a while now. If you have the belief, then the results will follow.”
India, 1-0 down in the series, will have little time to regroup before the second ODI at the same New Chandigarh venue on 17th September 2025. With the 13th edition of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup starting on 30th September in Guwahati, every outing is now part of fine-tuning the squad. Harmanpreet and her team will open their campaign against Sri Lanka in the tournament opener, while defending champions Australia begin against New Zealand in Indore on 1st October.
The stakes, then, could not be higher. While Australia reaffirmed their prowess in the first ODI, Harmanpreet Kaur’s words suggested that this Indian team, buoyed by emerging talents like Pratika Rawal and strengthened by the lessons of recent successes, is determined not to be defined by one defeat. Their greater test, with a home World Cup on the horizon, lies in turning belief into results.
(Quotes sourced from Harmanpreet Kaur’s pre-series press conference)
