Mumbai
India’s head coach, Amol Muzumdar, has dismissed concerns about captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s recent batting struggles, expressing confidence in her ability to regain form soon. Harmanpreet faced a dip in performance, including six single-digit scores in the recent all-format series against Australia, ending in a seven-wicket defeat in the decider. Muzumdar addressed the issue in a post-match press conference, stating, I wouldn’t say (Harmanpreet is out of form) across formats. In Test matches, she got a 49 and then 44 not out (against England). In the T20Is, it happens to every cricketer. She’s been a great player for India. I’m sure you’ll see some bright performances (from her) in the near future. The DY Patil Stadium marked the conclusion of India’s international home season, where they won Tests against England and Australia but fell short of securing a series victory in white-ball matches. Muzumdar reflected on the season, identifying fitness, fielding, and DRS decision-making as areas to improve for future challenges, including the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh later in the year. In white-ball cricket, we really need to focus on our fielding and our fitness. And hopefully in the following months, I will get a chance to work on it. Those are some areas we have identified as a group to raise the bar. In areas to look into, let’s rephrase that to fielding, fitness, and DRS. Despite missing out on a T20I series victory against Australia, Muzumdar highlighted that the Indian dressing room is a happy space, commending the team’s performance throughout the grueling season. He praised the players’ dedication and emphasized the meticulous monitoring of workloads to avoid injuries, acknowledging Shubha Satheesh’s finger injury as the only setback during the season.
