NEWS
Follow UsJemimah Rodrigues, ahead of India’s three-match T20I series against South Africa, insisted that the side will be hoping to produce consistent showings in all facets of the game, underlining the same as a goal for the side heading into the bilateral series.
India enter the three-match series against South Africa in top form, across formats. They enter this series having dominated both the ODIs and the one-off Test. But their T20 form is also excellent, with them currently in the midst of a five-match winning streak, having whitewashed Bangladesh in Sylhet in May.
"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,” Jemimah said ahead of the first T20I on July 5 (Friday).
“We’ll strive for greater consistency in this series.”
The top-order batter spoke about how fielding has been at the top of the priority list for this current group. She spoke about the influence of Amol Muzumdar, and how the work put in training has been paying off big time for the side.
"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."
Chennai has historically been a surface that’s been on the slower side. But Jemimah attested that she expects the surface for the first T20I to play out well.
“Looking at the pitch today, it looked like a really good pitch to bat on. But again, we won't know until the first ball is bowled,” she said.
But the 23-year-old claimed that the side has clear plans for all kinds of wickets.
“We don't think too much about the conditions,” Jemimah said.
“We are very clear when the pitch is good, we are very clear when the surface is a 140-150 wicket too. So our plans are very clear. It's about going out there and adapting.”
It remains to be seen how the Chennai pitch will play, but the wickets for the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh will certainly be on the slower side.
Jemimah asserted that WPL experience will come in very handy for the side when they set out to play the mega event on slow turners in Bangladesh.
"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 scheduled to be hosted in Bangladesh from October 3 to 20 October.
The first T20I of the three-match series against South Africa, meanwhile, will be played at Chepauk on July 5 (Friday).
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