India tried to address some long-standing problems in the first T20I against England, but they have some distance to cover.
India has not participated in an international cricket match since the Asian Games. They have not played against a team outside Asia since losing to Australia in the T20 World Cup in February. When they finally returned to action, it was a new-look unit full of U-19 World Cup and WPL cricketers.
As a result, they went into the England series with an almost unprecedented 15-man team, including seven all-rounders. They finished the first game at five.
This has solved the long-standing problem of not having enough batsmen in India’s T20I squad. With debutant Shreyanka Patil at number nine, there was little danger of running out of batsmen. Indian batsmen can now attack without hesitation.
This echoed coach Amol Muzumdar‘s words in the pre-match press conference. .”I’ve always worked on it…”
I can see where he’s coming from. In 2022, India reached 7.71, the highest in a calendar year. In 2021, that number was 7.36 for him. Heading into the third T20I, their run rate in 2023 was around 7.00, including a 173-2 15-over streak against Malaysia. India have struggled on some difficult pitches this year, but there were ample signs that they weren’t scoring quickly enough.
They tried to change that against England, but by the time India came into bat the game was almost a quagmire. They needed to get his 198 points. This is his third highest score in a chase by a team in the history of women’s T20Is.
India outscored England in the powerplay (55-2 to 43-2) and did the same at the 10-over mark (82-2 to 89-2). The final score of 159-6 was his third best score against England (it was his best score in a chase). It was a smart performance, especially as Sophie Ecclestone appeared unfazed by her long injury absence and returned with 3-15 from her four overs. But that wasn’t enough. The 38-point lead indicates the one-sided nature of the competition.
It couldn’t be like that. Renuka Singh Thakur galvanized England with two wickets in the first three balls of the match. But Pooja Vastrakar had time off. Debutants Patil and Saika Ishak were unable to weaken the position between Danny Wyatt and Nat Silver-Blunt. And Deepti Sharma could not play the role of containment.
Both Wyatt and Silverbrand know Mumbai well. Five years ago, at the Brabourne Stadium, a stone’s throw from the Wankhede, Wyatt smashed 213 runs in five T20Is at an almost ridiculous strike rate of 182. Shiver-Brunt scored 332 runs and 10 wickets in his WPL 2023 where most matches were played at the DY Patil Stadium in Suburbs or Brabourne.
Here they added 138 in 14.2 overs. They hit a combined 21 fours, which was five more for him than the entire Indian team, and two sixes. This partnership didn’t end the battle, but it certainly spelled the end for Amy Jones.
“We didn’t follow the plan,” admitted Harmanpreet Kaur in the post-match presentation. “The new bowlers will learn quickly before leaving for the T20 World Cup. There have been some changes in the bowling department so we will come back stronger.”
It wasn’t just bowling. While India lived up to Muzumdar’s promise of aggressive batting, the same was not the case at the other end. “Field strength and fitness is the priority,” he said. “There are no compromises when it comes to field work and fitness.”
Of course, it’s unfair to expect a new coach to revolutionize things in a short period of time. As he promised, there will be “a lot of camping” after the series and next season, but more on that later. The Indian fielders missed chances here, with Wyatt and Siver Brunt missing at least one chance each and making numerous errors in the field.
“I was hoping for good fielding, but when you are not playing in an international match, there may be pressure on you,” Kaul explained. It was notable that neither Ecclestone (returning from injury) nor Wyatt (out of the WBBL) seemed to be feeling any pressure. They were just doing normal things like the rest of the XI.
However, it is important for the team administrator to assist the team at this point. Having an abundance of all-rounders may not produce immediate results, but it should help in the long run.
However, the bowling seemed to lack a plan B against the two powerful batsmen. Lack of experience cannot be solved quickly. Reserve players Titus Sadhu and Minnu Mani have played six international matches between them. But if India are really interested in this bowling attack, it is important that they do not drop their bowlers after a few mediocre performances.
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