After India’s 8-wicket loss to hosts Sri Lanka in the ninth edition of the recently concluded Women’s Asia Cup, India women’s team head coach Amol Muzumdar and former Indian captain and cricketer Mithali Raj commented on India’s loss.
Sri Lanka secured their first-ever Women’s Asia Cup title in emphatic fashion, remaining unbeaten throughout the Women’s T20 Asia Cup. Skipper Chamari Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama played pivotal roles, leading their team to a thrilling 8-wicket victory over India in the final.
Amol Muzumdar reflected on the team’s performance, acknowledging it was one odd game and that it did not go as planned, where they failed to execute their strategies. He noted that despite the setback, the team had been dominant in recent matches, including the series against South Africa and throughout the tournament. Muzumdar credited Sri Lanka for batting exceptionally well.
“Well, actually, to be very honest, one odd game, we didn’t play well. We didn’t execute whatever we had hoped for, but that’s about it. We have been dominating right throughout the last series against South Africa and this tournament also. So, I think one odd game, we haven’t played to our potential, but credit needs to go where it is supposed to go, and I think Sri Lanka batted really well,” he said.
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Regarding the total of 165 runs India posted after winning the toss, Muzumdar felt it was a competitive score but praised Sri Lanka for getting off to a strong start and capitalizing on their opportunities.
Muzumdar stated, “I think 165 was a good enough total. Just that Sri Lanka credit to them that they really batted well. They got off to a flyer, and we couldn’t capitalise on the opportunities what we had. But at the same time, I think credit needs to go to Sri Lanka that they batted really well.”
What went wrong for #TeamIndia in the final? Were there any problem areas?
Head coach of the India women’s national cricket team, #AmolMuzumdar gives all the credit to the hosts Sri Lanka for the win and addresses the performance of #WomenInBlue #INDvSL | #WomensAsiaCupOnStar pic.twitter.com/qYTMiv2Gge
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 28, 2024
Highlighting the positives from the tournament, especially with the World Cup approaching, Muzumdar commended the team’s performance in all three departments. He praised the batting, which had been consistent over the last two months, and the bowlers, who had been fantastic both in the tournament and the preceding series against South Africa. Although there were fielding errors in the final game, he expressed confidence that the team was on the right track.
Muzumdar highlighted, “I think in all three departments, we have shown some great character. Batting has been good for the last two months. We have seen that the batting has been really good. Bowlers have done their job. The bowlers have been fantastic in the tournament and also against South Africa. We came into this tournament playing a series against South Africa. The bowlers did wonders over there and solely but progressively, we are going ahead in our Fielding department also. Although we made a few blunders today, but at the same time, I’m sure that we are on the right track and going ahead as far as fielding is concerned.”
When asked about the no. 3 position in the batting lineup, Muzumdar dismissed concerns, stating that they had tried several players and believed they had sufficient depth in their batting lineup.
Muzumdar said, “No, not really. We have tried a few couple of players, but at the same time, we do have depth in our batting. So, I don’t think there is… There is no trouble area as such, but we will have to address that, and we are on the process to address it.”
Finally, he addressed the impact of the large opposition crowd, stating that the team was not affected by it, having played in similar conditions before, and appreciated the spectators for turning up and enjoying the final.
Muzumdar further added, “We were not affected by it. They’ve all played in WPL, they’ve all played in series where it’s full house, maybe couple more than this, the crowd, so it didn’t affect them. But having said that it was nice to see some spectators turning up into the finals and I’m sure they had a good time here.”
Former Indian captain and cricketer Mithali Raj shared her thoughts on India’s preparation for the upcoming T20 Women’s World Cup in October. She emphasized the need to solidify the number three batting position, noting that while players like Hemalatha and Chetry have been tried, India needs a batter who can capitalize on the strong opening partnership of Shafali and Smriti.
“Come October, India is going to get into the biggest tournament that is T20 Women’s World Cup, and the areas I think India should be really looking into to improve is the number three batter. They are still searching for the right batter to go at number three. They’ve tried Hemalatha, and they’ve tried Chetry, but I think ideally, they should want to have someone who can really go big after the sort of opening partnership that Shafali and Smriti would give,” Raj said.
Raj also highlighted the importance of strengthening the bowling attack, suggesting the inclusion of a sixth bowler, preferably an all-rounder, to provide additional support.
Raj stated, “And also the bowling aspect, I would say, because right now they’re going with only five bowlers. They probably require a sixth bowler, someone like an all-rounder who can bowl few overs as well as bat. I think these are the areas India should be looking to tweak before getting into the World Cup.”
Lots of learnings and lots of hard work – #TeamIndia sure gave it their all in the #WomensAsiaCup2024 👏💙
🗣️ Let us hear what @M_Raj03 has to say about the team heading towards the #WomensT20WorldCup2024 & what are the areas to improve on 👀#INDvSL | #WomensAsiaCupOnStar pic.twitter.com/XSA3kCtm9j
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 28, 2024
Her message to the Indian team was to play good, hard cricket and compete with confidence, as the conditions in Bangladesh favor their strengths, particularly the spinners, and their batting is performing well. She wished the team good luck.
Quoting Mithali Raj, “My message to the Indian team would be that yes, play good cricket, play hard cricket, and compete because I think that you all have a great chance. Because it’s in Bangladesh, the conditions which suits us. Our strengths have always been the spinners, and this time around, our batting is also doing really well. So, good luck to you all.”
(Quotes sourced from Star Sports X account)