For Indian women’s cricket captain, Mithali Raj, the focus now shifts to doing really well in the forthcoming T20 World Cup in India. “It is time we need to break the jinx of reaching only the finals in major events and win the cup,” Mithali said.
In an exclusive interview with The Hindu , after coming back from Australia where India for the first time beat Australia in a T20 series before losing the ODI series, the 33-year-old felt there is no doubt that this Indian team should be a much better outfit in the T20 World Cup.
“Being with these players for two years now, I know their capabilities and they also are aware of what I expect from them like when I shuffle the batting order. The team looks really good overall but needs to step into the different zone now,” said the veteran of 161 ODIs.
“Frankly speaking, I did not expect India to do so well in the T20 series. Definitely, beating a team like Australia in their backyard is something really special. It was a collective effort unlike in the past when it was the case of one or two being the key performers. This is a huge positive,” the Indian captain pointed out.
“The biggest improvement was in fielding. The players were throwing themselves around, which I had not seen earlier, and saving at least 20 to 25 runs. This in a way also helped reduce the pressure on the bowlers too,” felt Mithali.
“Playing against Sri Lanka this week at home is a totally different proposition as the pitches tend to be slower here compared to Australia where they were ideal for batting. The onus is on us to keep doing well, sustain the momentum from a very good tour of Australia and be in a better frame of mind for the World Cup,” she explained.
