IND-W vs ENG-W, 1st T20I Preview: India Women hit reset button beneath new coach Muzumdar as World Cup beckons

It has been greater than a month since Amol Muzumdar took over as the top coach of India’s girls’s cricket group, and one in all his first duties has been to make sure that the group doesn’t dwell over the previous or trouble an excessive amount of about statistics.

For Muzumdar – a doyen of First-Class cricket – it’s all about taking part in fearlessly and focusing rather a lot on health and fielding.

While he doesn’t wish to ‘compromise’ on these two essential elements, he has additionally suggested the group to take each match severely, main as much as subsequent yr’s T20I World Cup in Bangladesh.

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When the Women in Blue sq. off in opposition to England within the first T20I on the Wankhede Stadium, which can be Muzumdar’s dwelling floor, they hope to begin afresh. From making it to the ultimate of the triangular sequence in South Africa to claiming a gold medal within the Asian Games – it has been fairly a satisfying yr for the Harmanpreet Kaur-led aspect.

But in opposition to England, it doesn’t get pleasure from a formidable document. The two sides have met 9 groups on Indian soil, of which the house group has solely gained twice – the final being an eight-wicket win at Brabourne Stadium in 2018. Its general document in opposition to England can be regarding, with simply seven victories from 27 outings.

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The sequence, thus, presents India with a chance to enhance its disappointing dwelling document in opposition to England, which is able to miss out on the companies of Charlie Dean, who’s down with a abdomen bug.

The Indian group will depend on the batters to get going. While captain Harmanpreet Kaur has led from the entrance this yr with 323 runs in 13 T20Is, together with three fifties, Jemimah Rodrigues, too, has stamped her class, amassing 342 runs in 16 matches at a median of 34.20.

The group’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has topped the charts with 369 runs in 15 matches, with three fifties, whereas averaging 28.08.

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Though she has been essentially the most profitable bowler with 19 wickets in 16 outings, Deepti Sharma has not been in her ingredient with the bat within the dying overs. The group has three new faces for this sequence, with right-arm Karnataka spinner Shreyanka Patil, Punjab’s left-arm spinner Mannat Kashyap and Bengal’s Saika Ishaque — one other left-arm spinner — being roped in.

England, in the meantime, would expect spinners Sophie Ecclestone and Sarah Glenn to step up. Ecclestone is getting back from a surgical procedure, after dislocating her proper shoulder, however as England captain Heather Knight insisted, the World No. 2 group plans to place up a spirited efficiency regardless of the group cheering for the house group.

The focus shall be on veteran Nat Sciver-Brunt’s all-round exploits, whereas Danny Wyatt and Ecclestone may even be hoping to play essential roles.