The previous few months have been fairly eventful for India’s ladies’s cricket staff. Taking on as captain after Mithali Raj’s retirement earlier this yr, Harmanpreet Kaur has ensured that the staff places up a sensible and courageous present.
During the last three months, the Girls in Blue received a bilateral sequence in Sri Lanka, reached the ultimate of the Commonwealth Video games and went on to defeat England 3-0 in ODIs. Their constant performances led to the Board of Management for Cricket in India (BCCI) asserting a “pay equity policy”, making certain that its centrally-contracted women and men gamers would get the identical match charges.
Being a seasoned campaigner, Harmanpreet is conscious of the truth that with pay fairness coverage in place, the accountability will even improve and when India takes on Australia in a five-match T20I sequence, starting on Friday on the DY Patil Stadium, the house aspect will likely be hoping to maintain the momentum going.
The build-up to the sequence hasn’t been good. Simply a few days in the past, Hrishikesh Kanitkar was named because the batting coach of the staff, whereas ‘former coach’ Ramesh Powar was despatched again to the Nationwide Cricket Academy (NCA) as a spin bowling coach. However having labored with Kanitkar up to now, the gamers consider that they may be capable to deal with conditions.
India and Australia have confronted one another 25 instances in T20Is, with Australia profitable on 18 events. India received six instances, whereas one recreation had no outcome. However the residence staff isn’t considering an excessive amount of concerning the statistics and Harmanpreet believes that her staff has sufficient firepower to dominate the Australian staff in acquainted situations.
With the DY Patil wicket more likely to help the batters, each the groups will likely be pinning their hopes on their huge weapons – whereas India will likely be hoping for Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues to return good early on, Australia, too, has its hopes pinned on stand-in captain Alyssa Healy.
Shafali, who was lately named captain of the India U-19 staff for the U-19 Girls’s World Cup, and Richa Ghosh will miss a part of the sequence as they may be a part of the camp in Bengaluru. Nonetheless, earlier than that, Shafali has an ideal alternative to get into the groove. The dashing Indian opener has had a blended yr to date, and it will be fascinating to see how she copes towards the Australian quick bowlers.
With the Girls’s T20 World Cup lined up in February subsequent yr, the sequence towards Australia will likely be essential and Harmanpreet believes that the staff will need to “continue the kind of cricket that we played for three months and we won’t make any changes to our approach…”
The captain has had a profitable yr to date with the bat, having amassed 387 runs in 17 T20Is at a median of 35.18, and going ahead, the staff administration will likely be anticipating the batters to regroup and re-strategise forward of a packed worldwide calendar.
For the house sequence, India has neglected seasoned all-rounder Sneh Rana, Kiran Navgire and Dayalan Hemalatha, making method for left-arm seamer Anjali Sarvani, who had a profitable outing within the Senior Girls’s T20 Trophy in addition to the Senior Girls’s Inter-Zonal T20 Trophy, and leg-spinner Devika Vaidya.
As Devika returns to the set-up after eight years and below a brand new coach, it will be fascinating to see whether or not she suits into the scheme of issues.
Australia, alternatively, finds itself in a spot of hassle. After touchdown in India, quick bowler Darcie Brown and opener Beth Mooney missed the primary two coaching periods because of sickness, however captain Healey hopes that Mooney will likely be out there for the primary match.
“India in their home conditions, no matter what the format, is is a real task and is different to what we have at home. We’re fresh off the WBBL (Women’s Big Bash League) back in Australia playing on Australian type of wickets and coming here and adjusting to different types of conditions that get thrown at us. You have to adapt quickly. Generally in T20 you get batting friendly wickets,” Healey, who will make her captaincy debut on Friday, mentioned.
With Rachael Haynes retiring from the sport and Meg Lanning on a protracted break, the home windows of alternative have opened for Tahlia McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner and Ellyse Perry. Over the previous few years, India and Australia have emerged as two of the fiercest opponents and when the motion begins at residence, India will hope to make a robust assertion.
