Harmanpreet Kaur prepared to guide India with ‘bat and ball’ in T20 World Cup, confirms coach Amol Muzumdar

India will kickstart their Ladies’s T20 World Cup 2024 marketing campaign in opposition to New Zealand on Oct 4.

As the Indian women’s cricket team prepares for their opening match against New Zealand in the 2024 T20 World Cup, head coach Amol Muzumdar has expressed confidence in their final team composition. In a pre-match press conference, Muzumdar shared key insights into the team’s strategy, notably confirming Harmanpreet Kaur’s position at number three in the batting line-up.

Harmanpreet Kaur to anchor at Number Three

One of the most significant changes in the Indian line-up for this tournament is the decision to move captain Harmanpreet Kaur to bat at number three. While Jemimah Rodrigues typically occupies this spot, she will now move down to number five. Amol Muzumdar explained that after several trials with players like Yastika Bhatia and Dayalan Hemalatha in the position, the team is confident that Harmanpreet will excel.

“Absolutely, not just the warm-up games, but we had already decided back in India and in the camps that happened before we set off from Mumbai. We had a lovely camp in Bangalore, and we decided there. Basically, these pre-World Cup matches absolutely stamped that for us,” Amol Muzumdar revealed during the pre-match press conference.

Focus on Bowling Depth and Flexibility

While the Indian team is strong on batting, concerns were raised about the lack of a consistent sixth bowling option. Harmanpreet Kaur, who used to contribute as an off-spinner, hasn’t bowled in T20 matches for a while. Addressing this, Muzumdar stressed that they’ve been working on ensuring more bowlers in the top six players.

“We’ve paid a lot of attention to the sixth bowling option. At least three to four [players] need to bowl. If we will get these overs out of them, then nothing prefer it,” he remarked, including that Harmanpreet has been working towards bowling once more and will fill in as wanted.

Fielding and Health Take centre Stage

Amol Muzumdar emphasised that fielding and health have been two core areas of focus for the workforce of their preparation for the event. He believes followers will see important enhancements in these areas because the event progresses.

“Fielding and health could be of prime significance. We’ve got labored upon it, totally gone deeper into it, and tried to utterly work individually,” Majumdar acknowledged. He famous that the workforce has paid particular consideration to every participant’s health and fielding drills, hoping to lift total efficiency requirements.

Impression of WPL on Workforce Choice

The introduction of the Ladies’s Premier League (WPL) has been a significant affect on the Indian girls’s cricket scene. A number of breakout stars from the WPL, reminiscent of Sajeevan Sajana, Shreyanka Patil, and Asha Sobhana, have made their means into India’s World Cup squad.

“WPL has been a really profitable event up to now within the final couple of editions. You’ve seen what response WPL has had. Clearly, the stats have helped, and we have now dug into numerous statistics and seen the outcomes,” stated Muzumdar. He credited the WPL for serving to the workforce determine younger expertise and creating a robust participant base for the nationwide facet.

Constructive Outlook Forward of the Match

Regardless of the challenges, Muzumdar believes the Indian workforce has lastly discovered the proper steadiness and is prepared for the event. “We’ve got discovered the proper mixture that we’re going to play tomorrow,” he concluded, sharing his optimism for the upcoming matches.

With this newfound confidence, the Indian girls’s cricket workforce will look to begin their T20 World Cup marketing campaign with a victory in opposition to New Zealand, pushed by a mix of expertise, youth, and the teachings realized from the WPL.

Editor’s Decide

Harmanpreet Kaur & Shafali Verma's form under scanner as India begin Women's T20 WC campaign

High Tales