The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is going on in UAE. Team India also started their journey in the marquee tournament. But the beginning was not desired an they faced a big 58-run defeat against New Zealand Women. That was a huge setback for the team. Their next match is scheduled against Pakistan Women’s. Indian cricketer Poonam Yadav provided her insights on Team India’s recent performance. She discussed their strategy following the loss to New Zealand.
Poonam Yadav on India’s Way to Bounce Back:
As the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup kicked off in UAE, Team India faced defeat against the New Zealand Women in their inaugural clash. That 58-run defeat against the Kiwi-Women was a huge setback for the team. After the defeat, they slipped to the last position of their group. In the group stage, they will play three matches against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia. After losing the first match, winning the upcoming matches becomes crucial.
In the next match, they are scheduled to face Pakistan Women. The Harmanpreet Kaur and Co will try hard to bounce back stronger. While talking about this, India cricketer Poonam Yadav said, “The Indian women’s team will bounce back because, after a big loss in the first match, as an Indian, you always come back stronger. I believe the team will learn a lot from this first loss and make a strong comeback.”
Later she added, “The first match doesn’t decide anything, but now it’s important to maintain a good run rate in the remaining matches. You have to win decisively and come back stronger. Your preparation needs to be solid, and the comeback must be impactful. You have to overcome all obstacles to stay competitive in this tournament.”
Poonam’s Take on UAE Conditions:
Initially, the T20 World Cup was scheduled to take place in Bangladesh. However, due to some serious reasons, the tournament shifted to UAE. While talking about similar conditions in India and UAE, Poonam Yadav said, “Whenever a team goes to play a match, you have time for preparation. You settle in, adjust to the heat, and understand the wicket conditions. I saw an interview where coach Amol Muzumdar mentioned that the wickets here are similar to those in India.”
Later she added, “He was saying it won’t be too difficult to play on these wickets because they are quite similar to Indian and UAE pitches. It’s not that challenging. Weather-wise, too, the conditions in India and the UAE are similar, so it’s not a big difference.”
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On Team India’s Batting Order:
Since the beginning of the tournament, there was a mystery over Team India’s number 3 batter. Finally, the result came out as the Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur came to bat at number 3 against New Zealand Women. While batting at number 3, she scored 15 runs in 14 balls. On the flip side, Jemimah Rodrigues scored 13 runs while batting at number 3 position. Indian player Poonam Yadav thinks Jemimah Rodrigues will be more appropriate as the number 3 batter.
While talking about this, she said, “I would prefer Jemimah to bat at No. 3 because she can make use of the field when only two fielders are outside the circle. Harmanpreet is better suited for big hitting, whereas Jemimah can rotate strike with singles and doubles and take advantage of loose balls and convert it into a 4 or 6. No. 3 is a crucial position, so having Jemimah there and Harmanpreet at No. 4 would be ideal, as you need both a good finisher and someone who can hit big.”
On Team India’s Upcoming Strategy:
After losing their inaugural game in the iconic event, Team India is under a little pressure. The upcoming three games in the group stage become crucial. The next game is a big one as the cricket world is all set to see another chapter of the biggest rivalry. On October 6, they are all set to face Pakistan women. Before that, Team India needs to regain their form.
While talking about this, Poonam Yadav said, “I feel they should focus more on the bowling all-rounders rather than batting all-rounders because their roles in the team are different. If you compare it to Australia, their all-rounders are more batting-focused, whereas for India, they are bowling all-rounders.”
Later he added, “A quality all-rounder who can contribute 30-35 runs in critical situations is crucial. The strength of the Indian team has always been in having proper bowlers. If you focus more on quality spinners, you’re likely to concede fewer runs. But if you rely more on batting all-rounders, you can add depth and chase higher totals, like 180 runs.”
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