IND vs SL, 3rd W-T20I: India looking to improve in all facets of the game, says coach Amol Muzumdar

It is nice, Amol Muzumdar admits, to have the tag of the World champion. The Women in Blue have played like champions as well, crushing Sri Lanka in the first two matches of the ongoing five-match T20I series.

“They will always carry that now, as they have been, from November 2,” the Indian coach said in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. “It was a fantastic effort in the first two matches. After the World Cup victory, there is a pleasant change in the team. They seem to be happier on the ground as well. It is a good thing to be in.”

Muzumdar is also happy with the way the young Vaishnavi Sharma has bowled. The 20-year-old left-arm spinner, making her debut in the series, took her first two wickets in the last match.

“I think she responded really well to the challenge,” he said. “She did what we had asked for. Credit to her that she comes from the Under-19 set up. I would like to stress that domestic performance was rewarded by the selectors, so great credit to them.”

He said he liked Vaishnavi’s control. “Not just her skills,” he said. “She showed her mental control, too, out there. She is calm, collected. She looks promising.”

The coach said there was a need to speak about improving all the three facets of the game. “Not just fielding,” he stressed. “In fact, there is a fourth one now. It is fitness. Batting, bowling, fielding and fitness. We consistently talk about all the facets. There is nothing in particular about one facet of the game. We are a progressing side. We want to be a progressing side.”

About batting first if India wins the toss, he said, “If we feel that bowling first is a good option, then bowling first is a good option. And if we feel that batting first would be a better option on this ground, then we will.”