Commonwealth Games 2022: India cricket coach Ramesh Powar happy with preparations
The Indian women’s cricket team, which clinched the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka 2-1, will look to carry the momentum into next month’s CWG.
With the T20 International series against Sri Lanka wrapped up, Indian women’s cricket team coach Ramesh Powar feels Indian batters are on the right track ahead of the Commonwealth Games 2022, which begins in Birmingham, UK from July 28.
The ongoing tour of Sri Lanka is the final assignment for the Indian women’s cricket team before the Commonwealth Games. India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, won the first two T20 Internationals in the three-match series but lost the third match.
India will also play a three-match One Day International (50-over per side) series in Sri Lanka from July 1 to 7. However, the matches at the CWG will be played in the T20 (20-over per side) format. Women’s T20 International cricket will be played for the first time at the Commonwealth Games.
“We touched upon all the bases,” Ramesh Powar said. “The wickets were slow, so we were not expecting too many high-scoring games, but the way Harmanpreet, Shafali (Verma), Jemimah (Rodrigues) and Smriti (Mandhana) batted, we are on the right track,” Powar, who has played 31 men’s ODIs, noted.
As far as the bowling department is concerned, India came into the T20I series having rested their premier spinners Poonam Yadav and Rajeshwari Gayakwad to test the bench strength.
Senior Indian pacers Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey, meanwhile, were rested to give youngsters a chance.
"The idea behind the bowling unit for this series was to give chances, opening up options…We wanted to see how our bowlers handle pressure," Ramesh Powar said.
India won the first T20I by 34 runs after putting up 138 runs on the board. Jemimah Rodrigues, who was dropped from the Indian team for the 50-over World Cup, played a crucial knock in the middle-order to help India get to a defendable total.
The second match saw Indian bowlers, led by Pooja Vastrakar, restrict Sri Lanka to 125/7 after the home side raced to 87/0 in 14 overs. India opener Smriti Mandhana then scored 39 runs to guide India to a five-wicket win.
India looked favourites to sweep the series in the final match after posting 138 in their 20 overs. Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu, however, played an unbeaten knock of 80 runs in 48 balls to help Sri Lanka chase down the target with seven wickets and three overs to spare.
India, who are yet to announce their cricket squad for the Commonwealth Games, are in Group A with Australia, Barbados and Pakistan. Sri Lanka are placed in Group B with England, New Zealand and South Africa.
The top two teams from the pools will progress to the semi-finals. All matches will be played at the iconic Edgbaston Stadium.