After a morale-boosting T20I series win over England, the Indian women’s cricket team is preparing for a crucial three-match ODI series, starting with the 1st ODI in Southampton, aiming to fine-tune their strategy ahead of the upcoming Women’s ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
The significance of this series is not lost on former India captain Mithali Raj, who stresses the importance of stability and clarity in the team’s core lineup as the marquee event approaches.
“It’s good that we won a T20 series in England. They will now be playing three ODIs from next week, and we will have to ensure that our core players are not shuffled too much,” Mithali emphasized, advocating for consistency in player roles.
She believes that giving players the chance to settle into their World Cup roles during the England ODIs will be vital for both team cohesion and individual preparation. “If they understand their roles well, it helps in their own preparation,” she pointed out, underlining the need for players to get accustomed to their responsibilities well before the World Cup.
The Indian women’s cricket team etched a new chapter in its history with a resounding 3-2 T20I series win against England on their home turf. This achievement is not just a testament to skill and strategy, but also to the relentless hard work and collective spirit that has defined the team’s journey.
India’s bowling attack, currently missing key pacer Renuka Singh Thakur due to injury, remains a focal point for Mithali. She highlighted the need for greater attention to both fast bowlers and spinners, especially when it comes to breaking partnerships and taking wickets at crucial junctures.
“We need to work or probably give more thought to our bowling unit, whether it’s fast bowlers or spinners, because they are going to be very important. You may put runs on the board, but you also need to take wickets, which sometimes you’re not able to manage. If there is a long partnership, we are unable to break that. That is one aspect where the Indian team can actually focus on and see if they can find some bowlers to do that work,” Mithali observed.
Despite recent bilateral series successes, India’s women have yet to secure an ICC trophy, often stumbling at the final hurdle. Mithali draws a clear distinction between the pressures of a bilateral series and those of a World Cup.
“Playing a bilateral series and playing a World Cup are two different things altogether. In a bilateral series, you’re playing one opponent time and again… But in the World Cup, you have different teams, different venues, and different plans and strategies. It changes from match to match, and it’s also a fact that playing a World Cup at home is very different from playing a World Cup anywhere else,” she explained.
Mithali also sees promise in the experience gained from the Women’s Premier League, where Indian players have been exposed to high-pressure, close-fought matches. “The girls are aware of those very close games. That should probably help them. In fact, there is no other way. If you’re going to constantly be in a situation where there are tight games, you should find a way to get out of it. So, I’m sure they will at some point,” she said.
Fielding, historically a concern for India, has shown improvement in recent T20Is, and Mithali is optimistic that this positive momentum can lift the team’s overall performance. “When you start off a series well, that feel-good thing works on all your skills—be it bowling or fielding. If your bowling is good, it sort of rubs off onto your fielding as well. So, they have done the batting well, and that has rubbed off onto the bowling and the fielding,” she noted.
However, she cautioned that the real test comes when the team faces setbacks: “But the question arises when you falter, how do you come back? Because we’ve seen in the past that when you falter in one department, then that also rubs off, and you end up with poor fielding.”
As India builds toward a home World Cup with heightened expectations, Mithali Raj’s advice is clear: maintain a stable core, clarify roles, sharpen the bowling attack, and build on recent improvements in fielding and mental resilience. The coming ODI series against England will be a key step in that journey.
(Quotes sourced from Sportstar)
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