'Fielding improvement was key to wins in England'

The India women’s cricket team created history on the recent tour of England, winning both T20I and ODI series.

- Shalini Gupta

Mithali Raj, the former captain and legend, analyses the triumphs and looks ahead to the series against Australia and the ODI World Cup India will host later in the year in this interview to HT. Excerpts:

How do you see the series wins even though England did not field their strongest teams in both?

‘Wins in England are always valuable. The conditions demand adaptability and I thought the team handled that well. What stood out was the clarity in roles and a noticeable improvement in fielding: areas that often go under the radar but matter immensely in a long tournament. With the ‘World Cup approaching, building consistency and depth across departments is key, and this tour showed promising signs.

With ODI opener Pratika Rawal struggling, do you think Shafali Varma’s experience can help against Australia and in the World Cup?

Shafali can change a game ina few overs but what pleased me ‘was how she paced her innings. ‘That isan area she has worked on: learning to construct an innings, notjustattack. As for Pratika, she's still early in her international journey. These initial experiences — even the tough ones—are crucial for development. Against Australia, Shafali’s experience will be vital, provided she continues to find the right balance between freedom and responsibility.