Fitness, smartness key for Indian women's cricket team

Having remained unbeaten in the four groupstage matches and a washout in the semifinal paving the way for a maiden T20 World Cup final the lsquolaw of averagesrsquo finally caught up with the Indian womenrsquos cricket team in the summit clash where they were comprehensively beaten by defending champions Australia at the packed Melbourne Cricket Ground recentlyNonetheless Harmanpreet Kaur amp Corsquos performance in the tournament won them many accolades From teenager Shafali Varmarsquos opening assaults to spinners bamboozling batters and some stunning catches throughout the tournament were some of the big takeaways for the Indian evesCoach WV Raman spoke to midday on Wednesday about Team Indiarsquos T20 World Cup campaign the emergence of Varma 16 Kaurrsquos leadership skills before throwing light on how the team brought about the big change in fitness and fielding standardsEdited excerpts from a chatWhats the biggest takeaway for the team from the T20 World CupThe important thing is that they have gained confidence of being capable of beating anybody on a given day They have realised that if each one of them contribute in their own way the team is going to enjoy success on a consistent basisWas it the pressure of playing in front of a packed MCG that affected the team in the finalSee we can dissect such things as much as we want which is what is generally done after an event I think more or less if things donrsquot go your way for the first 30 to 40 minutes in a T20 game it is very difficult to come back Letrsquos not forget that we were beaten by arguably the best side in womenrsquos cricket They were better than us on that particular dayDid the sevenday gap before the final have an impact on the playersIn a way that might have also contributed a bit I donrsquot want to sound as if I am giving an excuse but in a way that could have contributed simply because this is a young side and they are not yet experienced enough to switch on and switch off at will So eight days leading up to the final and having to sort of make do with a little activity could have also been one of the contributing factors But I am sure that this being a young side they would have learnt a lot of lessons from the finalWV RamanWhat are your observations about batting sensation ShafaliThe fact is that at a young age and on a big stage in a World Cup she has done well Thatrsquos an indication of her talent and temperament She will work things out as she goes along because she is only going to get better We should not try and tell her that this is how she should go this is the route she has to take or this is how she has to mould herself Let her continue playing her cricketAnother promising player Jemimah Rodrigues had a poor tournamenthellipLetrsquos not get talking about individuals pleaseIs there a need to have a pool of fast bowlersWe need to try and unearth some fast bowlers and groom them That is definitely something that we need to do in the future along with the ones that we have right now So if we have about seven to eight options then it becomes a healthy situation to be in We need to do a lot of work on this front Gradually it has already started The identification of raw talent is important They have to be groomed and nurtured It is not going to happen overnight Fast bowling is a tough job whether it is menrsquos or womenrsquos cricket It is important to first identify the talented bowlers and then get them fitter and stronger in womenrsquos cricket Then comes the skill development part Basically the issue is our girls our not naturally strong to become quick bowlers So you have first train them physically and then make them work on their technical side of the gameIs captaincy affecting Kaurs battingWe should not compare these two things As captain she did a tremendous job Letrsquos not forget it is a pretty young side and T20 is something that these girls are still trying to figure out how to go about It was a tough tour The trination series before the T20 World Cup was played against tougher sides She handled the team quite well The fact that she could motivate the team to do well despite her personal form 30 runs in five matches not being at her best speaks volumes about her character and her leadership qualities It is not easy when the personal domain is not its bestHow has the fielding evolvedWhat has helped them is the kind of training regime brought into place We have a dedicated fitness camp Once in three months we try and monitor they stand fitnesswise And when the girls relate that to performance like in the home series against South Africa winning T20Is 31 and ODIs 30 you donrsquot need to even tell them They do things on their own now They understand how important fitness is It is all about nudging them and telling them that what benefits they can derive After all it is their cricketing career and they are responsible and hard working so that is what has made the difference on the fieldIs there any scope for improvementThey need to step up on the fitness front a little more now because the base has been set They need to build on this which makes them even better on the field They also need to improve on speed and agilityIs powerhitting still a concernEach player has to do things their own way based on strengths Now it is not always the case that you will be powerful to achieve victory You need to be smart as well For example if our girls squad is 60 per cent as strong as the others they can make up by playing smart cricket for the 40 per cent of the strength that they donrsquot have So it about being physically fitter and smarter on the field to win matchesWhen you took over in 2018 the Indian womenrsquos team was in the news for all the wrong reasons You have brought the focus back on the sport Can you talk about your coaching styleForget what I did and what I didnrsquot do As long as they are happy with the current status of the team everybody should be happy If they are happy with where they are today I think it is a big step forward It is just a case of trying to make the girls understand the potential they have and what they can do with the talent they have When I took charge I did not even bother to look back I went in looking to make a fresh start and see what needed to be addressedIs the time ripe to launch a fullfledged womens IPLSee I am not going to endorse or disregard the opinions of others Each one is entitled to their own opinion Finally it is up to the BCCI They have been doing a good job in terms of what is required for womenrsquos cricket So I will leave it at thatCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereAlso download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates