Mandhana: England T20I Series Key to India's Women's T20 World Cup Prep

India's Women's team is gearing up for the T20 World Cup in England next year, and the upcoming five-match T20I series against England is seen as a vital opportunity for preparation. Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana emphasized the importance of acclimatizing to the English conditions.

Mandhana spoke in Harmanpreet Kaur's absence due to illness © Getty

"With the T20 World Cup next year around the same time, the summer in the UK offers similar conditions. These five T20s will provide excellent preparation for the girls, allowing us to assess the conditions and how they suit individual games. Five T20s is a significant amount of cricket in these conditions just a year before the World Cup," Mandhana stated.

Harmanpreet Kaur's Status

Mandhana addressed concerns about captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who was unwell on the day of the press conference. She clarified that Kaur's absence was temporary. "I don't think she's not playing [in the series]. She's just unwell for today, so I'm just here filling in."

Extensive Preparation for the Series

The Indian team has undergone nearly a month of preparation for the England tour, encompassing both T20Is and three ODIs. Several players, including Kranti Gaud and Sree Charani, are experiencing their first tour of England. The team arrived a week early to adjust to the environment. Mandhana lauded the preparation as "good and ideal."

"It's been a good 25 days of prep. We had batting and bowling camps at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, which were very targeted and specific, keeping this tour in mind," Mandhana explained. "We came a little earlier here, allowing eight days of prep, including a few good practice matches. This helped us understand a lot about the England conditions, especially for the girls on their first England tour. It was important for them to arrive early and get used to the conditions."

Continuous Improvement in T20s

Mandhana acknowledged the ever-evolving nature of T20 cricket and the need for constant adaptation. She admitted that batters always have room for improvement.

"In the T20 game, I always feel there's a lot of scope for improvement, not just for me, but for most batters. It's a format where you have to keep improvising because opposition teams are constantly analyzing your batting and planning against you," she noted.

Focus on the Present

Despite strategic planning, Mandhana emphasized the importance of focusing on each delivery. "Of course, coming here, there are a lot of game plans and goals for me as an individual, but cricket is all about one ball at a time, so I'll take it as that."

New-Look Pace Attack

India's pace bowling attack will be spearheaded by Arundathi Reddy, with Renuka Singh Thakur, Pooja Vastrakar, and Titas Sadhu sidelined due to injury. Amanjot Kaur, Gaud, and Sayali Satghare will contribute to the pace bowling unit. Mandhana expressed excitement about the young pace bowlers bringing their domestic experience to the international stage.

"We have a new-look pace-bowling unit because of injuries over the last four to five months. The Women's Premier League (WPL) has been good in terms of finding new talent, and the domestic system is strong as well," Mandhana said. "With the number of matches the girls play nowadays, they have rich experience in the domestic format. I'm really excited to see them. Young talent is always exciting, and everyone's been prepping up well. What better place than England for a pacer to come to?"