Indian women’s team head coach Amol Muzumdar has called for an aggressive and purposeful approach as India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, begin their campaign against Thailand, captained by Naruemol Chaiwai, in the third match of the ongoing sixth edition of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup. The contest will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, from 8 PM IST, with India aiming to begin a crucial six-month period on a confident note.
Amol Muzumdar believes India have considerable room for improvement after their disappointing T20 World Cup campaign in the United Kingdom in June, where they failed to reach the semi-finals courtesy of their league stage defeat to Australia in the 10th edition. India have won only seven of their 16 T20Is this year, recording a win-loss ratio of 0.77, better only than West Indies, Netherlands and Pakistan among the teams that featured in the previous T20 World Cup in June–July.
However, the coach insisted that the team is not allowing its recent record to dominate its thinking. “We don’t pay too much attention to the form that you are talking about,” Muzumdar said on the eve of India’s opening match. “But at the same time, we know what scope of improvement this team has got. There is a huge scope of improvement.”
The focus, he explained, is on building an identity that can sustain India through the Asia Cup, the fourth edition of the Asian Games in Japan next month and the inaugural Champions Trophy in February. “We are trying to play some good cricket, good aggressive cricket. And from here on, we will try and set the tone for the next six months,” he added.
India’s shortcomings in the T20 World Cup were evident against stronger opponents South Africa and Australia. Poor fielding, middle-order collapses, frequent changes to the playing XI and the fast bowlers’ inability to take regular wickets exposed areas that required immediate attention. Muzumdar said the squad used a 15-day camp at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru to address several of those weaknesses.
“We worked really hard on our fitness. We worked terribly hard on the fielding part as well,” he said. “We are trying to pay utmost attention to those minute details of certain aspects of the game.” According to the coach, the preparation has been encouraging, and the next challenge is to transfer that work into match situations. “It is just about going out there and executing our plans.”
India will begin the tournament without Jemimah Rodrigues, who injured her hamstring while representing the Southern Brave in the 6th edition of the Women’s Hundred 2026 in the UK. The influential No. 3 batter has been ruled out of both the Asia Cup and the Asian Games, with uncapped Pratika Rawal named as her replacement. Muzumdar did not disclose who would occupy Rodrigues’ position against Thailand, saying the team had not yet finalised its XI.
“Jemimah is a clutch player for us. She will definitely be missed,” Muzumdar said, while stressing that her recovery remains the priority. “There are some other players who have come into the team, and I am sure they will do well.”
With India scheduled to face host Japan in the quarterfinals at Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin, on 17 September at 5:30 AM IST, the Asian Games will run until 22 September. For Muzumdar, every fixture is part of a larger campaign. “This set of players are really hungry for success,” he said. “You would be able to see that in the coming future.”
(Quotes sourced from Cricinfo)
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