India has many match-winners now and will be a quality side to beat, said Mithali Raj, named Player-of-the-Series after India defeated South Africa in the T20 series.
“The fact that we completed a highly creditable ‘double’ under challenging conditions in South Africa is a reminder of how well we were prepared for the tour,” Mithali told The Hindu from Cape Town. “I think the short duration camp in Mumbai before we left for South Africa helped us a lot,” she said.
“I think it was great to see the girls do so well in conditions which were challenging for batters and spinners on pitches that were fast and had bounce,” the 35-year-old said.
“The twin-series triumph has done a world of good to the team’s confidence. We always knew we are a very good one-day team. And, the T20 series performance with convincing wins is something commendable,” the highest run-getter in women’s cricket said.
“The biggest positives of the tour was we just didn’t rely on one or two players. Everyone contributed. I was impressed with the way we handled the middle-overs after the pacers had given the early breakthroughs.
“Smrithi (Mandana) gave us good starts and when it was not so, the middle-order clicked. This is a welcome sight,” she said. “I hope to see at least five to six match-winners in the team.
“I am happy with my performances, especially finishing the T20 series on a high. Overall, maybe, I could have done much better in the ODIs,” Mithali felt. “Right now, I am enjoying my game and have no immediate thoughts on anything else other than cricket,” she said.
“The future of Indian women’s cricket looks good. The T20 World Cup this October should be the perfect stage to serve a reminder of our growing stature. But, it is important to play many matches,” she said.
“There is always scope for improvement in every aspect of the game. I personally think fielding is the key area, bowlers have to work on variations and we are trying to see the lower-order contributes with the bat, too,” she said.
“It is always great to play at venues where the men’s teams feature because of the ambience, the dressing room atmosphere and other things. These double-headers do a lot of good to women’s cricket and I feel this should be a regular feature. As they are televised, it sustains the interest in women’s cricket,” she said.
