Examine the role of data analytics in modern sports performance and selection. What lessons does it offer for India's wider sports ecosystem?

A ball-by-ball analysis of every women's T20I played up to 7 October 2026 found that Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma have added 4,080 first-wicket runs in 107 innings. That is about 50% more than any other opening pair [1]. Data analytics now shapes how performance is measured and how selections are justified. India can apply it far beyond cricket.

Role in performance assessment

• Using several measures together: The pair averages 39.2 runs per dismissal at 8.34 runs an over. A typical pair manages about 26 runs at under 7 an over [1]. Looking at both numbers together shows consistency and speed at once.
• Revealing trade-offs: South Africa's Wolvaardt and Brits average more (44.4) but score at only 6.85 runs an over [1]. Single headline figures can mislead.
• Tracking form over time: Over their last 15 innings, both openers have their best-ever strike rates (Shafali above 170, Mandhana above 150), and India's lead has grown since 2025 [1]. This helps time selection and workload decisions.

Role in selection

• Evidence for decisions: Both openers were named captain and vice-captain on 6 October 2026 [1]. The appointments fit what the performance data shows.
• Statistical fairness: A minimum of 20 innings keeps one-off flukes out of the comparison [1].
• Limits: Numbers cannot capture temperament or the pressure of leadership. The Zimbabwe series in Raipur will test this [1]. Data should support selectors' judgement, not replace it.

Lessons for India's sports ecosystem

• Build it into policy: The National Sports Policy 2025 calls for using AI and data analytics for performance tracking and research [2].
• Extend elite support: Since its 2016 overhaul, TOPS has engaged research analysts and sports-science experts [3]. This model should reach grassroots and state academies.
• Fund the infrastructure: The revamped Khelo India scheme (2026-31) funds sports science and modern technology [4]. It can pay for athlete databases for talent identification.
• Find hidden talent: The analysis put a UAE pair third [1]. Objective data can spot strong performers in women's and less-covered sports.

Data analytics makes performance easier to measure, selection more open, and talent searches wider. Combined with coaches' judgement and safeguards for athletes' data, it can move India from depending on a few stars to the merit-based, inclusive sporting nation that the National Sports Policy 2025 envisions.