(Source X)
On Thursday, India batter Jemimah Rodrigues emphasized the team’s dedication to enhancing their fielding skills, describing it as a pivotal aspect that can significantly influence matches. Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the Women’s T20I series against South Africa, Rodrigues highlighted the team’s structured approach across all facets of the game.
“We are focused on continually improving our fielding, recognizing its potential to change the course of a game,” she remarked, anticipating the series opener in Chennai on Friday.
Rodrigues, who earned acclaim for a diving catch during the recent Test against South Africa, credited head coach Amol Muzumdar for his uncompromising stance on fitness and fielding techniques.
“Since Amol sir has come, we have been hearing the same thing in every team meeting — fitness and fielding are non-negotiable. And, it is something we have specifically been working on,” she said.
“During the camp (at NCA), there were fitness sessions at 7am and then there were fielding sessions in the evening.
“In fielding, the Indian women’s cricket team is setting high standards. We will continue to do everything to maintain it. We will work hard and the results will come.”
The upcoming three-match T20I series serves as India’s last tune-up before the Asia Cup (T20) and the T20 World Cup.
Jemimah Rodrigues highlighted that the insights gained from the Women’s Premier League will be valuable for the upcoming World Cup.
“The best part about our team is that it has been a consistent team for a very long time, having played a lot of matches together. Also, having the WPL experience is a plus,” she added.
“The first WPL (in 2023) had quite a few inexperienced girls, but coming into this year’s WPL, playing on the low and turning pitches of Delhi, similar to Bangladesh, the girls will be taking in a lot of confidence heading into the World Cup.”
The Women’s T20 World Cup is set to take place in Bangladesh from October 3 to October 20.
The pitch at Chepauk will be closely watched, especially after it provided a high-scoring contest during the recent Test match where both teams amassed over 600 runs.
Jemimah Rodrigues mentioned that India will approach the upcoming T20I series with a well-defined strategy, following their dominant performance against South Africa in the recent one-off Test, where they clinched victory by 10 wickets after posting a score of over 600 runs in the first innings.
“Who said Chennai is not high scoring? We got to score 500 runs in the opening day of the Test, which speaks a lot about the wicket here. We will assess the conditions and then go about it. Looking at the pitch today, it felt like a perfect wicket to bat on. However, we will never know till the ball is bowled,” she said.
