India Women's Cricket Team Preps for T20 World Cup with England Series; Mandhana Optimistic

India Women Gear Up for T20 World Cup with England Series

With the T20 World Cup just a year away, the Indian women's cricket team is set to fine-tune their preparations with a five-match T20I series against England, commencing on June 28th. Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana expressed her optimism about the series, emphasizing the opportunity for the team to acclimatize to the English conditions.

Mandhana spoke in Harmanpreet Kaur's absence due to illness © Getty

"Considering the T20 World Cup is scheduled around the same period next year, during the UK summer with similar conditions, these five T20s will serve as excellent preparation for the team. It's a great opportunity for us to assess the conditions and how they complement each player's style of play. The timing, just a year before the World Cup, makes this series even more valuable," Mandhana stated.

Mandhana also addressed the absence of captain Harmanpreet Kaur, clarifying that she was unwell on the day of the press conference but is expected to participate in the matches. "She is just unwell for today. I am filling in for her today.", she added.

The Indian team has undergone nearly a month of rigorous training in preparation for the white-ball series against England, which also includes three ODIs following the T20Is. To help players such as Kranti Gaud and Sree Charani, who are touring England for the first time, the team arrived a week early to adjust to the environment before the series. Mandhana believes that the preparations have been adequate and ideal leading up to the series.

"We had a very focused and detailed 25-day preparation camp, with specific sessions for batters and bowlers at the NCA in Bangalore, all tailored to this tour," Mandhana explained. "We arrived here a little earlier to get eight days of preparation. We also had some practice matches. It was also important for the girls to get used to the conditions."

Recognizing the dynamic nature of the T20 format, Mandhana acknowledged the constant need for batters to evolve and adapt.

"In the T20 game, I feel there is always room for improvement for me. In this format, you have to keep improving because teams keep planning against the way you bat," she noted.

However, she maintained a grounded perspective, emphasizing the importance of focusing on each ball. "There are a lot of game plans and goals for me, but cricket is all about one ball at a time," she said.

India's pace bowling attack will be spearheaded by Arundathi Reddy, with Amanjot Kaur, Gaud, and Sayali Satghare supporting her. Renuka Singh Thakur, Pooja Vastrakar and Titas Sadhu remain sidelined due to injury. Mandhana expressed her enthusiasm about seeing the young pace bowlers translate their domestic success to the international stage against England.

"We have a new-look pace-bowling unit because of injuries. The WPL and the domestic system have been good in terms of finding new people," Mandhana said.

"The girls play so many matches nowadays. They have a rich experience in the domestic format, so I'm really excited to see them. Everyone's been prepping up well and what better place than England to come to as a pacer," she concluded.