India aim for spin depth, flexible bowling options in ODIs
India aims to build on their T20I success against England in the upcoming ODI series, focusing on spinners and flexible bowling options.
New Delhi: After a historic T20I series win against England, India head into the ODI leg with momentum, confidence, and on the back of a dominant show by their spinners.
In the shortest format, Radha Yadav and Sree Charani brought control and breakthroughs at crucial moments and captain Harmanpreet Kaur will hope that they can continue to play a defining role in the three-match ODI series that begins on Wednesday.
The team is keen to maximise the advantage of getting assistance from the conditions. “Charani is a key player,” said the captain. “She was impressive in WPL and has been outstanding recently. Radha, too, has made a strong comeback and I hope this combination continues to help us even in ODIs.”
Once grappling with form and confidence and only selected after an injury to Shuchi Upadhyay, Radha has made a case to be a permanent feature in the team yet again.
“She is willing to take the ball in any phase, whether it’s the Powerplay or the death overs. She is the kind of player I wouldn’t want to lose as a captain,” the skipper said. “She worked on herself during the gap, came back hungry. We also had a chat with her and told her whatever you’ve been working on is clicking and she should continue that. She had the same attitude on her return, she wanted to bowl all the time.”
{{/usCountry}}“She is willing to take the ball in any phase, whether it’s the Powerplay or the death overs. She is the kind of player I wouldn’t want to lose as a captain,” the skipper said. “She worked on herself during the gap, came back hungry. We also had a chat with her and told her whatever you’ve been working on is clicking and she should continue that. She had the same attitude on her return, she wanted to bowl all the time.”
{{/usCountry}}Another tactical element that emerged from the T20Is and could well continue into the ODIs is the addition of more bowling options. India’s plan to go in with four frontline spinners worked well in the shorter format.
{{/usCountry}}Another tactical element that emerged from the T20Is and could well continue into the ODIs is the addition of more bowling options. India’s plan to go in with four frontline spinners worked well in the shorter format.
{{/usCountry}}“The aim is to go for a good target. In our minds, we are always aiming to add more than 300 runs on the board. But we’ll make sure we have enough bowling options for days when the runs aren’t many and one or two bowlers are not having the best outing.” the captain stated. “Pratika (Rawal) has been our sixth bowling option and we’ll try to develop more. That flexibility helps in ODIs.”
{{/usCountry}}“The aim is to go for a good target. In our minds, we are always aiming to add more than 300 runs on the board. But we’ll make sure we have enough bowling options for days when the runs aren’t many and one or two bowlers are not having the best outing.” the captain stated. “Pratika (Rawal) has been our sixth bowling option and we’ll try to develop more. That flexibility helps in ODIs.”
{{/usCountry}}The transition from the last ODI series in 2022 to now has also seen significant progress in team structure and clarity. “If I talk about the past two-three years, things look far more settled,” the captain remarked. “Everyone knows their role. There is a lot of clarity as compared to earlier.”
“After a long time, we have a headache like this with many players performing well,” she said, crediting Pratika and Shafali Verma for their performance and highlighting Harleen Deol’s growth. “Harleen has shown she can be trusted with responsibility. And I try to give clarity as captain so everyone knows what their role is.”
The clarity and healthy competition has kept players like seam-bowling all-rounder Amanjot Kaur hungry and motivated. After a relatively quiet WPL season in 2023 due to MI’s depth, she’s now proving her all-round utility. “She filled the void in the absence of Pooja Vastrakar,” said Kaur. “Whether it’s with bat or ball, she wants to contribute. It’s great to have players who want to step up in all departments.”
India would also be hoping to replicate the fielding standards that stood out in the T20Is. If the spin group continues to fire along with the flexible bowling approach, it could be a positive step ahead of the ODI World Cup that begins in September.
