India Women lost all four of their group stage games at the 4th Women’s Baseball Asia Cup: 0–10 to Chinese Taipei, 3–6 to Thailand, 1–11 to Hong Kong, and 5–23 to China, the host country.
The results showed that Indian women’s baseball is becoming more and more true: while the country is the best in the developing tier of Asian competition, the gap between it and the continent’s established baseball powers has grown much larger. But even with the scary numbers, there is progress, potential, and a clear plan for what India needs to do next if it wants to go from just participating to really competing in Asia.
There were two parts to the 2025 Women’s Baseball Asia Cup: a Qualifier Round and a Main Tournament.
India had already done well in the qualifiers, winning all of their matches against Sri Lanka (14–4), Pakistan (2–1), and Iran (13–0). Their perfect record (3–0) got them into the main draw, where they would face top teams like China, Chinese Taipei, and Japan’s regional rivals like Hong Kong and Thailand. But the jump was huge. India’s mostly amateur team quickly hit the technical and tactical limits of its current development model when it had to compete against countries with professional systems, established domestic leagues, collegiate programs, and full-time coaches.
Breakdown of Each Game
India lost to Chinese Taipei 10–0 on October 27.
India’s first game was a tough start against some of the best pitchers in Asia. From the start, Chinese Taipei, the second-best team in Asia, ran clinical offensive plays. Taipei’s pitchers threw a mix of high-speed fastballs and late-breaking off-speed pitches, and India only got two hits in five innings.
Women Baseball Cup Credit Bridge India’s defense was well-organized, but they couldn’t keep up with the speed of the game. Even though the score was low, the game taught us a lot about the differences in fielding mechanics, pitch variation, and situational awareness.
The best game consoles India 3–6 Thailand (October 28)
This was the moment that defined India’s campaign. India was ahead 3–0 after six innings, thanks to starting pitcher Reshma, who struck out ten batters and didn’t let any runs score. Then the seventh inning fell apart. Fielding mistakes, tiredness, and a late change in pitchers let the floodgates open. In one terrible inning, Thailand scored six runs, ruining India’s best performance.
Still, it was India’s best performance against a mid-level team. This shows that the team can handle a lot of pressure for a long time, but they don’t have enough depth to finish games against more experienced teams.
India lost to Hong Kong 11–1 on October 29.
The emotional hangover from the loss in Thailand was clear the next day. Hong Kong took advantage of India’s defensive mistakes because they are good at small-ball and aggressive base running. Pitching fatigue became a big problem. Reshma, who had done all the work, was rested, and India’s second-string pitchers had trouble with control, giving up six walks and hitting two batters. India only scored one consolation run in the fourth inning, and they never got into a rhythm.
The 1–11 score showed how bad the pitching staff is and how India needs to fix its bullpen rotation if it wants to compete in multi-day tournaments.
India 23–5 China (Oct. 30)
When they faced the hosts, the gap was clear. China, the top-ranked team in Asia, hit the ball with professional-level power and scored 23 runs, which was the most runs scored in a single game at the tournament. India scored a respectable five runs, with Neha Yadav and Pooja Kumari showing signs of wanting to attack. However, the infield fell apart when it was put under a lot of pressure. More than half of China’s runs came from mistakes in throwing and fielding ground balls.
The outcome was painful but useful. It showed that there are two levels of Asian women’s baseball: a professional top tier (China, Japan, Taiwan) and a developmental second tier (India, Pakistan, Iran, Sri Lanka). India is the strongest team in the second tier, but it is still a transitional team.
The Competitive Cliff: What You Should Know
The numbers from India’s group-stage performance show some harsh truths:
- Nine runs scored 50 runs allowed Average loss margin: 10.25 runs per game Indian pitchers struck out 17 batters, 10 of them by Reshma alone.
- India doesn’t have a talent problem; it has a sustainability problem. The team plays very well for 3–4 innings, but then they start to lose their focus and energy. The main problems are still not having enough pitching depth, not being able to hold up on defense, and not being aware of what’s going on when things get tough.
- Even though the team had a hard time, Reshma’s play was one of the best in international baseball for India. Her six-inning shutout against Thailand showed that she has real elite potential control, speed, and calmness under pressure. India had to use her arm too much because they didn’t have any reliable backup pitchers, which made her tired for the rest of the games. India’s structural weakness is shown by their over-reliance on one starter: a small pool of trained pitchers.
- Setting up a year-round pitching development program with biomechanics coaching and load management is no longer an option; it’s a must.
- India is out of the group stage, so they will now play Sri Lanka for 9th place in the classification round on October 31. Sri Lanka was one of India’s victims in the Qualifier Round, when India beat them 14–4. It’s a chance to end the tournament with a win that boosts morale and shows that India is still the best in the developing tier.
- But the bigger picture goes beyond Hangzhou. India’s participation has grown, but competitive growth has stalled, as shown by the drop in overall rankings from 5th in 2017 to 9th in 2025. To close that gap, there needs to be more professional coaching, tougher competition at home, and more visibility to draw in better athletes.
- The 2025 Women’s Baseball Asia Cup was more of a wake-up call than a setback. The women of India showed heart, skill, and discipline, especially against Thailand, but they also showed how weak the program is right now. A top-tier team must stay accurate for nine innings, not six. That’s the road ahead.
Next up
India vs. Sri Lanka on October 31, a chance to end the campaign with pride and maybe even start a new one.
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