'Once a worry, India's improved fielding a major reason for their remarkable turnaround'

MUMBAI: For long, fielding has been a major Achilles' heel for the Indian women's team, costing them heavily in several big tournaments. However, things on this front have been entirely different in England this summer.

In a major, welcome change, Harmanpret Kaur & Co's electric fielding has actually emerged as their strength, contributing majorly to the side's maiden T20I series in (they hold an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series with the final match to be played on Saturday night) England recently-an achievement that has largely gone under the radar due to the ongoing high-profile men's Test series between the two nations.Throwing themselves on the field with gay abandon, India's fielders have pulled off some spectacular catches, effected run outs and saved runs-a far cry from the sight of the same lot fumbling with the ball on previous occasions.

That India's fielding is finally changing from 'sloppy' to 'electric' augurs well for the Women-in-Blue as they have big challenges lined up for the next year or so- the 50 overs World Cup in India in Sept-Oct-Nov and then the T20 World Cup in England in June 2026.

Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!

"Fielding, once a worry, has seen a remarkable turnaround. The improvement has been evident and played a key role in the team’s recent success," former India women's team captain Shubhangi Kulkarni, currently a member of the BCCI's Apex Council, told TOI on Saturday.

"They held targeted camps ahead of the tour, and the results are clear to see. The Women in Blue are carrying themselves with energy, confidence, and purpose—signs of strong preparation and also I am sure the exposure from the Women's Premier League (WPL) has helped," she said.Across the four matches against England, one could see that Harmanpreet Kaur & Co seemed to be fielding with confidence and athleticism. In a refreshing change, they have so far completely outclassed hosts England, who have been mostly shoddy, in this department.“Back when I had joined the team, we had decided on one thing: we wanted to become a good fielding side. We all needed to contribute towards that and work together. Every player, senior or junior, responded to that,” said India's fielding coach Munish Bali on Friday on the eve of the fifth and final T20I in Birmingham.

“It was a shared dream that came from the players as well. They wanted to do well, feel like Australia and England (in terms of fielding standards).

We knew that we were doing the work in the background, so sooner or later, the results would come. We had done some good fielding during the Women’s Tri-Series (against Sri Lanka and South Africa). The same has carried over to the current series against England as well. The commitment they showed to improving their fielding was not only seen during the match but also in their practice matches,” he said.

Another heartening feature of the Indian women’s team in England this summer has been the excellent show of their spinners. While the vastly-experienced Deepti Sharma (seven wickets in four [email protected]) has been supported well by left-arm spinner Radhav Yadav (five wickets in four [email protected]), the real surprise package has been Andhra's 20-year-old left-arm spinner Shree Charani, who made a sensational T20I debut in the opening T20I at Nottingham, took four for 12 in 3.5 overs to script India's 97-run win.

In the fourth T20I at Old Trafford, ‘Player of the Match’ Radha Yadav (2-15 in four overs) and Charani (2-30 in four overs) took four for 45 in eight overs, playing a massive role in India's six-wicket series clinching win.

In four T20I so far, Charani has taken 10 [email protected] most by any bowler in the series-at an economy rate of just 7.13, marking a phenomenal start to her T20I career.

"The spinners have been in fine form, with Deepti Sharma leading them and Sree Charani has emerged as a real asset—an exciting find, especially with the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup looming on home soil," Kulkarni praised.Of course, it was a blazing, maiden T20I century (112 off 62 balls) by vice-captain Smriti Mandhana which helped India put up 210 for five and record a huge win in the first game at Nottingham, and make a statement that the visitors were in the mood for something special this time in England.In the second T20I at Bristol, India collapsed to 31 for three at the start, but recovered to score 181 for four thanks to 63-run knocks by Jemimah Rodrigues and allrounder Amanjot Kaur.

"Smriti set the tone with a sparkling century, and the rest of the batting unit - Jemi, Harleen, Amanjot and others - stepped up beautifully, each player contributing when it mattered," complimented Kulkarni.However, while India must celebrate this rare overseas triumph in women's cricket, it must be remembered that England have been without their new captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, who is suffering from a left groin injury, for the last two T20Is.

"England, meanwhile, are navigating a transition and are missing a couple of senior players. That said, we must keep our foot on the pedal and continue performing at our peak to keep the wins coming," Kulkarni said.The 65-year-old also pointed out the zone where India still need to pull up their socks. "One area that still needs attention is our running between the wickets—turning ones into twos, and keeping the scoreboard ticking with smart singles," felt the former leg-spinning allrounder, who played 19 Tests and 27 T20Is between 1976-91.