“This occurs when you take a break from playing international cricket.” – Harmanpreet Kaur evaluates India’s first T20I loss against England

According to captain Harmanpreet Kaur, their prolonged absence from the game contributed to their defeat by England in the first Twenty20 International of the series. In order for them to win the series, the 34-year-old said that the bowling unit needs to improve. Notably, Danielle Wyatt (75) and Nat Sciver-Brunt (77) played outstanding cricket in Mumbai, helping England score 197 runs. India lost the match by 38 runs after scoring 159 runs in reply.

After the loss, Harmanpreet Kaur said the team’s goal is to develop in time for the next World Cup and devise stronger bowling strategies. While she acknowledged that the English batsmen performed admirably, she also predicted that the bowlers would perform admirably in the second Twenty20 International.

“We had to bowl in accordance with the schedule. We will work on it and get better before the ICC World Cup, bowlers. Though I’m sure the bowlers will learn from it, I know it’s a difficult game. They are obviously skilled batters. For a very long time, they have played excellent cricket. In the post-match presentation, Harmanpreet Kaur stated, “We have made some changes to the bowling lineup, but we will come up with better plans.”

“I was hoping for a strong showing from the players as they were playing after a long break. However, if you take a long break from international cricket, it does occur,” she continued.

To pursue, all we had to do was support ourselves. Harmanpreet Kaur

India needed a good start at bat in order to chase a massive total. The inability of Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues to support young Shafali Verma, who made the perfect start, destroyed India’s momentum. Subsequently, India lost by 38 runs as neither of the hitters could produce a big inning.

“While pursuing, all we had to do was support ourselves. We were anticipating a strong beginning. Though we managed to establish a partnership after losing a few wickets, the final 10 overs were not kind to us, Harmanpreet Kaur continued.