Coach Ramesh Powar identifies two areas India Women need to work on ahead of 2022 World Cup

India Women’s coach Ramesh Powar has asserted that there were plenty of positives for team in England despite losing the ODI and T20I series. England won the multi-format series 4-2 following their eight-wicket triumph in the final T20I. Poward admitted there are areas India need to work on heading into the 2022 World Cup.

However, Powar believes India are an improved group in comparison to where they stood after the limited-overs home series loss to South Africa earlier in the year. The India Women coach was quoted as saying by ANI:

“Sneh Rana coming back after five years and putting on a show is inspirational. There are lot many positives, scoring 154 against the top side, we want to score high in T20Is and ODIs. Fielding has improved, bowling has improved and if you compare to South Africa we have come little ahead and there is a lot of work to be done.”

At the same time, Powar conceded that legends like Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami will need greater support in the batting and bowling departments respectively. This will be imperative for the team to do well in the 2022 World Cup. Powar added:

“We have to have match time, in the fast bowling department there is only Jhulan, there has to be some support to her, then middle overs batting after powerplay in ODIs, that’s where strike rotation and conversion from dot balls to runs should be there after you get set. In Test cricket, there are a lot of things to learn about, still we managed to draw that game. In T20Is we have to score 160 plus, to put some pressure.”

“For the World Cup in New Zealand we have to have good fast bowlers and the middle overs are where we are trying to get that conversion rate, Mithali is batting very well but she needs support, to get (the team) to 250.”

We could have scored a few more runs: India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur

India’s T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur admitted that the visitors did not put up enough runs on the board while batting first in the final match at Chelmsford. Despite opener Smriti Mandhana’s 70, India Women could only score 153 for 6 in their 20 overs. Danielle Wyatt’s unbeaten 89 off 56 guided England to a thumping eight-wicket win.

Speaking after the loss, Kaur said:

“Firstly, we’re thankful for the support we’ve got in all the games from the crowd. But yes, it was disappointing to not finish with a win. We could have scored a bit more runs with the bat and then dew made it tough in the second innings. Someone had to bat till the very end, it was something we had talked about but didn’t happen today. Hopefully it will come off soon.”

India heroically drew the one-off Test in Bristol but lost the ODIs and T20Is by a 2-1 margin.

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