CHESTER-LE-STREET: The closing of matches has always been a cause for concern for the Indian women’s cricket team and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur believes the solution to this problem lies in finding the right balance in the batting order.
In the Commonwealth Games final in Birmingham, India, chasing Australia’s 162, were on course at 118 for 2 before losing the plot and were knocked out for 152 in 19.3 overs.
“We are working on it. I know these things have been on our minds for a long time. We have to be patient and after a while we will also start to get results,” Harmanpreet said on the eve of the first T20I against England here Saturday.
“That’s why this time we added two more hitters – Dayalan Hemalatha and — KP Navgire — in the team that can finish the match for us. They did very well in domestic cricket, scored a good number of runs.”
“We have to have a balance on our side in the lower order, when there is a balance things become easier,” she added.
That said, Harmanpreet thinks the visitors need to be flexible in their batting approach.
“We have to be a bit flexible with the stick because sometimes you have to see who is bowling and what performance is better against them and who can get those points for us.
“As far as batters go, we’ll be very flexible. We’ll take calls depending on game situations,” she said.
The right-handed hitter sees England’s limited series tour as a fresh start after their silver medal effort in Birmingham, where they beat England en route to the gold medal clash.
“We did very well in the CWG but now it’s a new start for us. England have always done well against us. For us it will be very difficult. (But) CWG gave us a lot of confidence,” Harmanpreet said.
India are in England for a two-week white ball tour which includes six white ball matches – three T20Is and as many ODIs.
The T20s will be held in Hove (September 10), Derby (September 13) and Bristol (September 15), while the ODIs are scheduled for Hove (September 18), Canterbury (September 21) and Lord’s (September 24).
England will be without their alternate captain Nat Sciverwho pulled out of the show to “focus on her mental health.”
But Harmanpreet said England still had enough firepower to challenge India.
“She (Sciver) misses the game but they still have a really good team and I think if we’re going to beat them we’ve got to play really good cricket.
“The last 10 days have given us enough time to prepare. We look good, and now it’s time to go out there and perform. It’s very important for us to stay in the moment. “, she said.
When asked about the mental fatigue players are experiencing these days due to constant cricketing, Harmanpreet thinks it is better for a cricketer to take a sabbatical from the game when the chips are depleted.
“Ups and downs are a part of life, so when things aren’t going your way, it’s better to take a break than to push too hard. Whenever we face such a situation as a team, we try to help this player.
“The last time I experienced these things, playing back-to-back cricket, I took a break from CWG. Playing back-to-back cricket has an impact on your mental health.”
In the Commonwealth Games final in Birmingham, India, chasing Australia’s 162, were on course at 118 for 2 before losing the plot and were knocked out for 152 in 19.3 overs.
“We are working on it. I know these things have been on our minds for a long time. We have to be patient and after a while we will also start to get results,” Harmanpreet said on the eve of the first T20I against England here Saturday.
“That’s why this time we added two more hitters – Dayalan Hemalatha and — KP Navgire — in the team that can finish the match for us. They did very well in domestic cricket, scored a good number of runs.”
“We have to have a balance on our side in the lower order, when there is a balance things become easier,” she added.
That said, Harmanpreet thinks the visitors need to be flexible in their batting approach.
“We have to be a bit flexible with the stick because sometimes you have to see who is bowling and what performance is better against them and who can get those points for us.
“As far as batters go, we’ll be very flexible. We’ll take calls depending on game situations,” she said.
The right-handed hitter sees England’s limited series tour as a fresh start after their silver medal effort in Birmingham, where they beat England en route to the gold medal clash.
“We did very well in the CWG but now it’s a new start for us. England have always done well against us. For us it will be very difficult. (But) CWG gave us a lot of confidence,” Harmanpreet said.
India are in England for a two-week white ball tour which includes six white ball matches – three T20Is and as many ODIs.
The T20s will be held in Hove (September 10), Derby (September 13) and Bristol (September 15), while the ODIs are scheduled for Hove (September 18), Canterbury (September 21) and Lord’s (September 24).
England will be without their alternate captain Nat Sciverwho pulled out of the show to “focus on her mental health.”
But Harmanpreet said England still had enough firepower to challenge India.
“She (Sciver) misses the game but they still have a really good team and I think if we’re going to beat them we’ve got to play really good cricket.
“The last 10 days have given us enough time to prepare. We look good, and now it’s time to go out there and perform. It’s very important for us to stay in the moment. “, she said.
When asked about the mental fatigue players are experiencing these days due to constant cricketing, Harmanpreet thinks it is better for a cricketer to take a sabbatical from the game when the chips are depleted.
“Ups and downs are a part of life, so when things aren’t going your way, it’s better to take a break than to push too hard. Whenever we face such a situation as a team, we try to help this player.
“The last time I experienced these things, playing back-to-back cricket, I took a break from CWG. Playing back-to-back cricket has an impact on your mental health.”