NEW DELHI: Former England captain Nasser Hussain has urged Indian women’s team skipper Harmanpreet Kaur to step up in the ongoing World Cup, highlighting her impressive record in the tournament and comparing her potential impact to that of Australia’s Alyssa Healy.

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Harmanpreet has struggled so far, scoring just 71 runs in four matches, while her deputy Smriti Mandhana (134) and Pratika Rawal (180) have been carrying the top-order load. India currently sit fourth on the points table after narrow losses to South Africa and Australia, making their next games crucial for semifinal qualification.

Ahead of India’s clash against England at Indore on Sunday, Hussain said, “Like I said, Harmanpreet has a fantastic World Cup record. The bigger the game, just like Alyssa Healy, in the last couple of games before the match against India, the stats had come off a little bit, but in the two big games, she suddenly delivers. I expect the same from the Indian captain, really.”

Hussain, however, dismissed concerns that India are overly reliant on their openers. “I think Harleen (Deol) has been okay; she has been consistent. I saw a tweet the other day comparing strike rates. I would just say to be careful when comparing strike rates. When you are batting in the powerplay and opening in the powerplay, your strike rate would be higher compared to middle-order batters. So, just be careful when comparing strike rates. I don’t think India are over reliant on their openers,” he said.

With Australia already securing a semifinal spot, the battle for the remaining three places involves India, England, South Africa, and New Zealand. Wins against England and New Zealand would almost guarantee India a place in the last four.

Hussain added that the two close defeats mean every remaining match is effectively a knockout. “They have lost two on the bounce now, every game nearly, they have to play like a knockout game and in knockout games, your big players come. Jemimah Rodrigues has scored runs down the order, while Deepti (Sharma) has also performed well down the order. In the first game against Sri Lanka, people down the order were getting runs,” he said.

He also stressed the importance of partnership breakers. “So, I don’t think they are heavily reliant on 1-2 players. Just in the field, maybe, when someone gets going like Alyssa Healy the other day, say Nat Sciver-Brunt gets going on Sunday, that’s when who is going to come and break the partnership. I think Deepti is the one you go to as a partnership breaker. For England, it might be Sophie Ecclestone,” Hussain added.

The former England captain’s remarks underline the need for Kaur to rediscover her form and for India’s middle order to rise to the occasion in the high-pressure matches ahead.

(With PTI Inputs)