India turn to their World Cup warm-ups to find form before the Pakistan opener

India go into their two World Cup warm-up matches this week with a clear job in front of them: find some rhythm before the real thing starts. A 2-1 series defeat to England was not the send-off Harmanpreet Kaur’s side wanted, and the practice games against West Indies and the hosts are the last chance to iron a few things out before the group stage begins.

Two games to get it right

The schedule is tight. India face West Indies at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Monday, then take on England at Derby on Wednesday, both before the tournament proper gets going. Warm-ups do not count for anything in the table, but they matter for a side still settling on its best eleven, and a couple of clean performances would do plenty for the mood in the camp.

The batting is where most of the questions sit. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma give India a top order that can win a game on its own when it clicks, and Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet anchor the middle. Getting all of them firing in the same match has been the harder part, and these two fixtures are the place to sort the order out rather than experimenting once the points are live.

A tough group waiting

India have not been handed an easy draw. They sit in Group A alongside Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Netherlands, which means the most successful side in the competition’s history and a dangerous South Africa are both in their path from the start. There is no room to drift through the early matches and find form later.

The bowling looks the steadier department. Deepti Sharma offers control and wickets through the middle overs, Renuka Singh and Arundhati Reddy lead the seam attack, and the spin options around Deepti give Harmanpreet plenty to work with on surfaces that should take turn. If the batting clicks into place, this is a side with the all-round depth to go deep.

Pakistan first

It all builds towards June 14, when India open their campaign against Pakistan at Edgbaston. Those games carry a weight of their own regardless of form or rankings, and India will want to walk into it settled rather than searching. That is what the next few days are for. Beat West Indies, get a look at England in match conditions, and the warm-ups will have done their job.

There is talent in this squad and a captain who has been here before. The challenge now is timing, getting the pieces to come together in the week that matters most. Two warm-ups will not answer everything, but they are a useful place to start.

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