India women’s team has benefitted from a nearly month-long preparatory period in Bengaluru and England, which has helped it acclimatise well to the conditions, all-rounder Deepti Sharma said on Friday.
The Indian players underwent a 25-day camp in Bengaluru before arriving in England eight days ahead of their five-match T20I series. They currently lead the series 2-0, having won the first two matches by 97 runs and 24 runs respectively.
“The conditions were somewhat similar during the camp in Bengaluru. It was windy and we got help to adjust to this weather,” Deepti told the media on the eve of the third T20I at The Oval.
“We came here one week or so before the series, everyone was able to adapt well and the practice matches also helped in getting used to to the conditions. The youngsters were benefitted from it.
“Thanks to BCCI that they arranged the camp, we got good practice in windy conditions against the moving ball,” she added.
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Deepti said getting to bat at different positions was one of the features of the camp.
“All middle-order batters played at different positions during match simulations in Bengaluru. It gave us an idea about flexibility and to avoid any surprises. We all are ready and clear about our positions,” she said.
Deepti was full of praise for 20-year-old spinner Shree Charani, who has taken six wickets in the first two games, having made her T20I debut in the series opener.
“It’s not easy on debut, but she took four wickets in her first game. She is pretty young; I appreciate that she assessed the conditions and bowled in the right areas because it is not easy,” Deepti said.
“She was very confident heading into her first game and even in the second, she took crucial wickets. She is developing herself quickly in these conditions.”
On India needing just one more win from the remaining three matches to secure its maiden series win in England, Deepti said the team will stick to the basics and not look too far ahead.
“We will follow our processes and take it one game at a time. We won’t try to do anything different,” she said.
“We are not looking that far. We are taking it only one game at a time and trying to continue what we are doing,” Deepti replied when asked what the series win would mean given the next T20 World Cup is in England in 2026.
