NAVI MUMBAI: Aiming to prepare for the T20 World Cup later this year, the Indian women\u2019s team will look to quickly brush off it\u2019s ODI 3-0 whitewash at the hands of a rampaging Australia when it meet the same opponents in a three-T20I series starting on Friday.
However, bouncing back against the multiple times world champions won\u2019t be easy \u2014Australia enjoy a 23-7 record in 31 women\u2019s T20Is against India, and beat the hosts 4-1 in a T20I series last year.
One of the big worries for the India women\u2019s team this season has been the poor form of skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who has got out for six singledigit scores in her last nine innings across formats, with her top score being 49.
Talking to reporters, Kaur said she had been unlucky at times, while revealing that she had spent extra time at the nets in a bid to recover her touch.
\u201cAt times it happens. I am getting good starts, but somehow I am not being able to convert them into big scores. I feel even luck plays a key role because I got out in a weird manner a couple of times.The next three games are very important. If I can score runs, it will be good for the team,\u201d she said.
Kaur denied that her team was a bit fatigued after going through their busiest home season ever, which involves two Tests, six T20Is and three ODIs, all in a month’s time.
\u201cI do not think because as cricketers, if we are not playing international cricket, we are practicing. I do not think it is too much cricket, but if we look back at the (last) one month there has been only one game in which we were not up to the mark. Otherwise, we have played very good cricket. Everyone is excited for the T20I series,\u201d the Indian captain said.
The biggest area of concern in this series for India has been their fielding, with their butter-fingered fielders having spilled nine catches in the last two ODIs.
Kaur felt that India\u2019s fielding coach Munish Bali needed time to make a difference in this area.
\u201cFielding and fitness are something that we have been talking about for a long time. We have been working on it,\u201d she said.
Meanwhile, having dominated India in the ODIs, the Australian women\u2019s team is in no mood to take its foot off the pedal.
\u201cWe speak about that a lot in our meetings (about) being ruthless \u2014 when we\u2019re on top \u2014 we like to keep doing that and not let it slip,\u201d Australian leg-spinner Georgia Wareham said.<\/div>\n