INDW vs ENGW 1st T20I: Harmanpreet Kaur rues ‘time away’ from field after loss

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur rued the players’ time away from international cricket after their loss to England in the first T20I in Mumbai on December 6.

The match, which took place in Mumbai, saw England set a formidable target of 198 runs, thanks to significant contributions from their batters, particularly opener Danielle Wyatt and Nat Sciver-Brunt. Wyatt scored an impressive 75 off 46 balls, while Sciver-Brunt contributed a strong 77 from 53 deliveries. Their partnership was crucial in propelling England to a high total.

INDW vs ENGW 1st T20I: Report | Highlights

India’s performance in the field was marred by several lapses that contributed to their loss. The Indian team struggled to find control with the ball and appeared to be taken aback by England’s aggressive batting. Renuka Singh Thakur provided an early breakthrough for India, taking three wickets, but it wasn’t enough to stem the flow of runs from the English side.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Harmanpreet said that the bowlers would learn from their performance and improve before the T20 World Cup.

“Yeah. We needed to bowl according to the plans. The bowlers will learn from it and we will improve before the ICC World Cup. I know it’s a tough game but I know the bowlers will learn from it.”

“Well, we know they are good batters. They have played good cricket for so many years. We have had some changes in the bowling lineup but we will come up with better plans,” said Harmanpreet.

Harmanpreet said that being away from the field did affect their performance on the field. The Indian captain also said that the team needed to back themselves while chasing big scores.

“Playing after long time, I was expecting some good performance from the players. But it happens if you are away from international cricket for some time.”

We just needed to back ourselves while chasing. We were looking forward to some good start. But after losing a couple of wickets, we got a partnership but the last ten overs didn’t go our way.”