India took to the field with the confidence their previous win should have given them. Verma smashed Marufa Akter’s innings for three consecutive boundaries and after the first four overs, India led 29-0. Nahida Akter, Sultana Khatun and Fahima Khatun then applied spin squeeze and left India in a 51-4 state at the halfway stage.

Jemima Rodrigues and Harleen Deol tried to make amends by trying to tighten the innings. But after rotating the strike and being on the defensive – there were no boundaries from the sixth to 13th overs – both were out with single-digit scores.

Ahead of crucial matches, including home series against South Africa, England and Australia and the Asian Games, questions about India’s lack of batting depth are likely to grow louder. Batsmen capable of winning matches are present in the top order, but there are holes in the middle and a serious shortage of finishers.

In a bid to find the right combinations ahead of the next major series, India have abandoned lower-order players like Richa Ghosh, Shreyanka Patil and Sneh Rana, opting for the all-round abilities of Amanjot Kaur and Vastrakar. But even in this case, sending the latter to the back nine didn’t help.

Holes to be plugged

The lack of strength in the middle-order is as problematic as the lack of depth in the fast bowling group, especially with player absences caused by injuries.after Tuesday’s disappointing defeat, The special