Powar was effusive in his praise for Mithali, who finished her England tour with three back-to-back half-centuries.
Follow Us
India Women head coach Ramesh Powar was full of praise for ODI skipper Mithali Raj, who finished the tour of England with three back-to-back half-centuries. Mithali emerged as the highest run-getter in the ODI series. She scored 206 runs, with second-placed Nat Sciver trailing her by 64 runs. The legendary cricketer became the leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket during the course of the series, surpassing former England captain Charlotte Edwards.
“She deserves every praising word out there. She has been a fantastic servant of the game for 22 years. She is a role model for a lot of girls; she single-handedly won us the game [third ODI],” said Powar as quoted by Cricinfo.
The India Women head coach further hailed all-rounder Sneh Rana as the ‘find of the England series”. Sneh made her presence felt in all departments.
“Sneh Rana is the find of this series. The way she was bowling in the practice sessions in Southampton [India’s base prior to the start of the tour], we thought we should give her a chance. It was a difficult decision to play two offspinners [Deepti Sharma is the other], but she has played her role to the core. I am really happy for her. Being an offspinner myself, I can see the talent. She is someone who can play in crunch situations, and that is what we need right now. When the big tournaments and the big series come up, we need players of calibre, who can take pressure,” added Powar.
Mithali had earlier praised the all-rounder, terming her as a player who will have a bigger role for the national team in the coming years.
“That’s a slot [where] we’ve always looked for somebody who has the shots to clear the field – strong shots all round. And it helps to have a player there who can also bowl. So, it’s good to have her in the side. She’s definitely shown that she does have the character in her to be built into a good player. In the current era, in modern cricket, allrounders play a very important role in the composition of the team. I’m sure that she has a bigger role playing for India in the coming years,” she said as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Sneh made her presence felt in the recently concluded domestic one-day competition. The all-rounder finished as the leading wicket-taker for title winners Railways. The same confidence reflected in the ODIs as she picked up two wickets in as many games, conceding runs at an economy rate of 4.35. Her confidence with the bat reflected in the final ODI where she followed up her 7-0-31-1 with a 22-ball 24 in an exciting run chase.
Powar termed the improvements in fielding and bowling as positives from the England series. At the same time, he urged the batters to step up considering the upcoming 50-over World Cup next year in New Zealand.
“The fielding improved immensely; the bowling improved immensely. Our batting has to be up if we’re aiming for the World Cup” he concluded.
Rishabh Pant's explosive last-over blitz ignites IPL 2024 amid T20 World Cup comeback talks
