NEW DELHI: Under pressure to bounce back after consecutive defeats, India may look to include a sixth bowler to strengthen their attack ahead of a crucial ICC Women's World Cup clash against England in Indore on Sunday.

India's campaign has hit a setback following narrow three-wicket losses to South Africa and Australia in Visakhapatnam, prompting scrutiny of their strategies.

So far, the team has relied on a combination of five batters, a wicketkeeper, and five bowlers - three of whom are all-rounders - as their preferred template throughout much of the World Cup cycle.

However, its weaknesses have been glaringly exposed, forcing a rethink as the 'Women in Blue' face a must-win situation, needing two victories from their remaining three matches to keep their semifinal hopes alive.

The five-bowler strategy faltered against South Africa, yet the management stuck with it against Australia, leading to another loss.

The results highlighted that India cannot rely on an attack that lacks variety and sharpness when facing the tournament's top teams.

The absence of a specialist bowler proved costly as both South Africa and Australia chased down 251 and 330, exposing India's inability to apply pressure.

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India’s fascination for batting depth in the form of multiple all-rounders has made them bench a genuine wicket-taker like pacer Renuka Singh for Amanjot Kaur.

Renuka's absence has left the attack a bit one-dimensional, and her inclusion could lend much-needed variety and take pressure off the young and inexperienced pacer Kranti Goud, who has shouldered the responsibilities admirably so far.

They also have the option of playing left-arm spinner Radha Yadav or pacer Arundhati Reddy.

But equally worrying for India is the dip in form of their top-order batters. India had entered the World Cup with their premier batters in excellent touch, but the momentum seemed to have fizzled out.

While openers Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal showed glimpses of fluency against Australia, scoring brisk fifties, the middle-order led by captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues has struggled to make meaningful contributions.

India squandered a commanding start provided by their openers against Australia, collapsing spectacularly by losing six wickets for just 36 runs and folding with more than an over to spare.

That trait had put them in deep trouble against Sri Lanka and Pakistan before the all-rounders bailed them out but against four-time champions England the home side will require their core batters to deliver.

This will also allow the team the flexibility to include a sixth bowling option, an indispensable factor in modern-day white-ball cricket.

The conditions at the Holkar Stadium here have traditionally favoured batters, with both matches played at the venue so far being high-scoring contests.

England enter the contest in a more secure position but not without concerns of their own. While they are the only team apart from

Australia who are unbeaten so far, their batting has been erratic, often relying on moments of individual brilliance rather than collective application.

They narrowly avoided an upset against Pakistan, rescued by rain after slumping to 79 for 7. It was their second collapse of the tournament following a precarious 78 for 5 against Bangladesh.

While their top-order remains fragile, England's bowling unit has been disciplined, often bailing them out of tricky situations.

The four time champions require just one more win to seal a semifinal berth and they will hope that ace left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone has recovered from an illness.

Ecclestone and pacer Lauren Bell had missed the match against Pakistan.

Teams (from):

India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Uma Chetry, Renuka Singh Thakur, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud.

England: Nat Sciver-Brunt (c), Em Arlott, Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Emma Lamb, Linsey Smith, Danni Wyatt-Hodge.

Match starts at 3pm IST.

(With PTI Inputs)