India might have finished a memorable Women’s Asia Cup campaign but head coach Amol Muzumdar feels there are aspects that need attention. Even though India won the tournament for a record eighth time, several catching chances went down in the final against Sri Lanka with a further four dropped at the semi-final stage.
Muzumdar, however, found it more an opportunity to tighten up than anything that needed concern. He added that fielding, fitness and running between the wickets were already covered during the preparatory camp in India ahead of the tournament. The coach says that the team has to work on these areas and will not rest on their laurels after a successful international campaign.
India went through the tournament winning all five of their matches. At the core of their success was the red-hot form of openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana. Shafali was Player of the Tournament and also the leading run-scorer in the tournament – 236 runs off five innings at a strike rate of 171.01. Mandhana followed with 213 runs.
The opening partnership for India was in incredible form throughout the tournament while its middle order never got a chance to affect proceedings. India Captain Harmanpreet Kaur was the next highest run scorer for her side with 71 runs. Pratika Rawal who made her T20I debut in the tournament scored 56 runs from four innings.
Muzumdar rebutted views that the middle order was a cause for concern, asserting it is traditionally the nature of T20 cricket batting which will occasionally mean lesser opportunities for heavy runs among some players.
One of these positive outcomes was the performance of G Kamalini in the final. Kamalini is not Rawal who was originally slated to bat at 3 but later entered the fray only at seven. She scored 15 unbeaten runs off five balls, including a four and six in the crucial last over with seven balls remaining.
That late cameo gave India the much-needed momentum going into the fielding innings. Muzumdar praised Kamalini’s ability and said the performances of all players showed how much talent was on board.
The Asia Cup victory was another feather in the cap for India, but as Muzumdar said, it wasn’t all about winning. The team was so far past mistakes taken the lessons learned and prepping for what’s to come.
Read also: Shafali and Mandhana Lead India to Eighth Asia Cup Triumph
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