‘Finisher Fulmali will thrive at Women's T20 World Cup 2026’: Sandeep Gawande

Bharti Fulmali with her coach Sandeep Gawande in Amravati

India batter Bharti Fulmali's coach Sandeep Gawande believes his ward can play the perfect finisher's role at the Women's T20 World Cup, beginning in England on Friday.

Fulmali hammered six fours and a six during her 40-ball 56 not out to help India beat West Indies by 26 runs in a World Cup warm-up match at Cardiff on Monday.

Bharti Fulmali

Fulmali, 31, made her T20I debut against England in 2019, but lost her place after just two games. She returned to the side after a seven-year gap against South Africa last April. Gawande revealed how Fulmali has worked hard on her game before earning a recall. "Bharti performed well in the 2026 Women's Premier League for Gujarat Giants [119 runs at a strike-rate of 146.91] and that helped her make a comeback to the Indian team. She worked very hard across that one-and-a-half month before the WPL. She used to bat for four-five hours every day, doing match simulations. She was struggling with a few shots down the leg side, so we specifically worked on those areas. Now, she effortlessly plays her shots on both sides of the wicket," Gawande told mid-day from Amravati on Tuesday.

Gawande feels Fulmali's greatest strength is her mental toughness. "She is mentally very strong, focused, and never loses hope. She was determined to play for Team India again and concentrated on her daily training with discipline. The way she performed on Monday [vs WI], I'm confident she will get a chance in India's playing XI [vs Pakistan on Sunday]. India needs a good finisher and Bharti's best suited for that role," added Gawande.

146.91
Bharti Fulmali's strike-rate in the 2026 WPL; the right-hander scored 119 runs off 81 balls