Mandhana Sees England T20Is as Crucial World Cup Warm-Up for India Women

With the Women's T20 World Cup just a year away, the Indian team is gearing up with a five-match T20I series in England, commencing on June 28th. Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana emphasized the importance of this series as a preparation ground for the prestigious tournament.

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

Mandhana stated, "Given the T20 World Cup is scheduled around the same time next year, during the UK summer with similar conditions, these five T20s will provide valuable preparation for many players. It will also allow us to assess the conditions and how they suit individual games. Five T20s offer a significant amount of cricket under comparable conditions, just a year before the World Cup."

She also addressed the absence of captain Harmanpreet Kaur from the pre-match press conference due to illness, clarifying that Kaur's participation in the match wasn't ruled out entirely. "I don't believe she's not playing; she's just unwell for today. I'm filling in for her today," Mandhana explained.

The Indian team arrives in England following a month-long preparatory camp for the white-ball series, which includes three ODIs following the T20Is. Recognizing that several players, including Kranti Gaud and Sree Charani, are touring England for the first time, the team arrived a week early to fine-tune their preparations. Mandhana expressed satisfaction with the team's preparation, deeming it ideal leading up to the series.

"We had a productive 25-day preparation period, including focused batting and bowling camps at the NCA in Bangalore, specifically designed for this tour," Mandhana commented. "We arrived here early to get eight days of preparation, including a few good practice matches. This allowed us to learn a lot about the English conditions, especially for those on their first England tour. It was important for them to acclimatize early."

Mandhana acknowledged the ever-evolving nature of T20 cricket and the continuous need for batters to adapt. "In the T20 game, I always feel there's room for improvement, and that applies to most batters," she noted. "It's a format where you have to keep improvising because opposition teams are constantly analyzing and planning against your batting style."

Despite the importance of strategic planning, Mandhana emphasized the fundamental principle of focusing on one ball at a time. "Coming here, I have specific game plans and individual goals, but ultimately, cricket is about taking it one ball at a time," she said.

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

"[We have] a new-look pace-bowling unit due to unfortunate injuries over the past few months. However, it's really exciting. The WPL has been instrumental in unearthing new talent, and the domestic system is also thriving," she said.

"Given the increasing number of matches these girls play, they possess significant experience in the domestic format. I'm eager to see them perform. The introduction of young talent is always exciting, and everyone has been preparing diligently. There's no better place for a pacer to come than England," she concluded.