India seek winning start vs England, Mandhana upbeat

The Indian women’s team begin their tough white-ball tour of England, comprising five T20Is and three ODIs, with the opening T20 match on Saturday. The good thing is that they start at Trent Bridge here, a venue known to be high scoring. Despite losing both their warm-up matches narrowly, they would still be confident of making a positive start on a batter-friendly track.

That 2022 clean sweep

Speaking of track, India’s track record against England has not been impressive. Of the 30 T20 matches between the two, India have won only eight and lost 22. However, on their last tour of England, they had swept the T20 series 3-0 and that would give them the confidence to try and emerge triumphant again.       

In the warm-up games, one of 50 overs and one of 20 overs, there have been some positives. Harleen Deol scored a hundred in a 50-over game, while Smriti Mandhana, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, and Richa Ghosh have had good outings in both formats. But comeback girl Shafali Verma’s form, however, remains a concern. Though she made a start, she did not stay long enough to conclude that ‘she is back.’ The form of Jemimah Rodrigues is also crucial. She is the backbone of the batting in the middle order. She is the one, along with Harmanpreet, who can make a huge difference. 

The bowling unit is led by the experienced Arundhati Reddy and Deepti Sharma, with all-rounder Amanjot Kaur and spinner Sneh Rana to provide the backup. They may not be able to sweep the series like in 2022, but winning it would be a big confidence boost as the women’s T20 World Cup is set to be played here in England next year.   

Vice-captain Mandhana talked to the media in place of Harmanpreet, but cleared the air that she is unwell for today and will play the series opener. “She [Harmanpreet] is fine, I am just filling in for today. As for our preparations, we have had a good 15 days at NCA [Bengaluru] and then eight days of good prep here too which has been useful in getting used to the English conditions, especially as many in the team are first-timers to England”, said Mandhana.

Experienced England side

Led by Nat Sciver-Brunt, England have an experienced bunch of players and will be a handful for the Indian team. Experienced batter Tammy Beaumont reckons it is going to be a tough test for the home team as India are among the top four teams: “Whenever you play India, it is a good marker of where you are at as a team. We have a big winter coming up with a [50-over] World Cup in India [and Sri Lanka], and the T20 World Cup next summer.”

This article first appeared on Mid Day