
IND vs ENG: 'Happy hunting ground ' - India coach credits WPL for India's historic T20I series against England
India's women's cricket team secured their first-ever T20I series victory against England with a 3-2 win, despite losing the final match on Saturday. Head coach
Amol Muzumdar
attributed this historic achievement to the Women's Premier League (WPL) and competitive domestic cricket season, emphasizing their crucial role in player development.
The series win was sealed after India's dominant six-wicket triumph in the fourth T20I at Manchester on Wednesday, though they lost the thrilling fifth match by five wickets on the last ball.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
SUBSCRIBE NOW!
"WPL has been an integral part of the progress of the players. There's no doubt about it. But there are other tournaments as well in India which we really have a good look at it. There are so many domestic players playing. WPL is just a part of the initiative of the BCCI.
So, I think it's been a happy hunting ground for us, the WPL. But at the same time, there are other tournaments which also take the importance," Muzumdar said at the post-match press conference.
Debutant left-arm spinner Shree Charani emerged as a standout performer, claiming 10 wickets in the series and earning the 'Player of the Series' award, despite going wicketless in the final match.
"I guess, you know, from WPL we identified her and then I think her progress has been fantastic.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Don't Pay Full Price for 2025's Top Games!
G2A.COM
Shop Now
Undo
She's been phenomenal in this series. We had a good look at her in the Sri Lanka series where we played a tri-series against South Africa and Sri Lanka. So, I think she's been the find. We were searching for a left-arm spinner and she's fitted the bill perfectly," Muzumdar noted.
The coach highlighted bowling and fielding as key takeaways from the series, complementing India's traditionally strong batting lineup.
"I think the key takeaways were our bowling.
There's no doubt about it. We had a game plan before we set off from the Indian shores. We had a good camp and we focused quite a bit on our bowling and fielding, which showed in this series. I think the biggest takeaways without a doubt have been our bowling and our fielding. Having said that, the batting has been our strength for a long time. A year-and-a-half that I've been in charge, I think we've played some fearless cricket as far as batting is concerned.
The two departments which we wanted to take care of was bowling and fielding," he explained.
Radha Yadav
's performance in bowling and fielding received special mention from Muzumdar.
"She's been phenomenal. She puts in a lot of hard work. Not many people know it, but behind the scenes there's a lot of hard work that she puts in as far as fielding is concerned. Radha is somebody we actually have to stop her sometimes. She's got a knack of picking up those brilliant catches.
I've seen it in the Dubai T20 World Cup and she picked up a magnificent catch there," he shared.
Poll
Who do you think was the standout player in the series?
Shree Charani
Radha Yadav
Other players
Regarding the final match loss, Muzumdar expressed mixed emotions while remaining pleased with the series victory.
"To be honest, mixed emotions. At the halfway mark, when we had a chat at the ground, we said that either we make a match out of it and we fight till the last run that is there. So, I think they responded really well. Pleased with the results," he said.
With the T20 World Cup scheduled in England in 2026, Muzumdar views this series win as valuable preparation.
"World Cup in 2026, same place. So we've picked the squad accordingly and we've started on a good note, I guess. Winning the T20 series here against England, that too the first time ever. So it's a pleasing result. The preparation has already started," he concluded.
Catch Manika Batra's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 3. Watch Here!

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Business Standard
7 minutes ago
- Business Standard
ENG vs IND: Rishabh Pant ushered off the field due to injury in Manchester
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant had to be ushered off the field after he suffered a toe injury following a yorker from Chris Woakes during Day 1 of the 4th Test against England in Manchester. Pant took the blow and was visibly in pain after that. After receiving some treatment, the medic decided to call out the stretcher as he was then ushered off with a swelling and a small cut on his right leg. Ravindra Jadeja has replaced him on the pitch as fans would be hoping that the batter can return to bat later in the innings. Pant has been unfortunate with the injuries as it was a finger injury that had prevented him from keeping wickets in the Lord's Test against England recently. With Rishabh Pant looking for boundaries every now and then with his first six coming in the 61st over, Sudharshan's patient knock made the partnership tick in what was a cloudy atmosphere that forced the floodlights to be turned on in Manchester. The duo put up a 50-run stand after tea as Pant also became the first visiting wicketkeeper to score 1000 runs in England. Pant kept at it, targeting Dawson for some more boundaries on the day while Sudharshan patiently kept creeping up towards his fifty.
&w=3840&q=100)

First Post
7 minutes ago
- First Post
Shubman Gill faces flak for benching Karun Nair in Manchester Test: 'Chance missed to earn respect'
Karun Nair was benched by the Indian team in the fourth Test against England in Manchester, having failed to convert any of his starts throughout the series and collected 131 runs in three Tests at an average slightly above 20. Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif, however, felt he deserved another shot. read more India captain Shubman Gill has faced criticism for not giving Karun Nair a longer rope in the ongoing Test series in England. Reuters India captain Shubman Gill came under fire on the , not just for perishing early with the bat for the third consecutive time but also for failing to back senior teammate Karun Nair. Nair, after all, was benched in the fourth Test at Manchester after featuring in the first three Tests of the five-match series, with the team management opting to bring B Sai Sudharsan back into the XI. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Kaif comes to Nair's support after Vidarbha batter is benched at Old Trafford And former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif was among those who felt Nair should have been back for at least one more game before getting relegated to the bench at Old Trafford, where India find themselves in a must-win situation in their quest for a first series win on English soil in 18 years. 'Today was Shubman Gill's chance to back karun who was down but deserved one more chance. He should have picked Karun Nair. Chance missed to earn the respect when it comes to making tough decisions as a leader,' Kaif wrote on X on Wednesday. Today was Shubman Gill's chance to back karun who was down but deserved one more chance. He should have picked Karun Nair. Chance missed to earn the respect when it comes to making tough decisions as a leader. — Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) July 23, 2025 Both Sudharsan and Nair had played the series opener at Headingley, at No 3 and No 6 respectively. The visitors, however, opted to bring in an extra all-rounder in Washington Sundar in the lower middle-order in the second Test at Edgbaston, forcing them to choose Nair over Sudharsan and moving him to No 3 in the process. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Nair, however, had collected just 131 runs in three Tests at an average of 21.83 with a top-score of 40 – going past the 30-mark just twice in the series. The Vidarbha batter, who was rewarded for a red-hot run in domestic cricket, was retained in the XI for the third Test at Lord's despite failing to convert promising starts in the series. Skipper Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir, however, ran out of patience after Nair collected just 54 runs across two innings at the 'Home of Cricket'. Also returning to the Indian XI for the first time since the series opener in Leeds was all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who replaced the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy. Additionally, Anshul Kamboj made his international debut in Manchester on Wednesday after replacing Akash Deep, who has also been ruled out of the remainder of the Test series due to injury. Akash, who had starred in the victory in Birmingham, has a groin issue while Reddy has been ruled out due to a knee injury. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD


Indian Express
7 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Divya Deshmukh scripts history, reaches FIDE Women's World Cup final after beating former World Champion Tan Zhongyi
India's teenage superstar Divya Deshmukh's dream run at the ongoing FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 continues as she knocked out former World Champion China's Tan Zhongyi in the semifinal in Batumi on Wednesday, becoming the first Indian to reach the finals of this elite tournament. The 19-year-old stunned World No. 4 for the biggest win of her career. She handed Tan a loss in the second leg of their semifinal clash by white pieces to win the tie 1.5-0.5 after drawing the first leg with black pieces. Divya played a wild Alapin Sicilian Defense game to convert a match which ebbed and flowed both ways. The teenage sensation had earlier ousted second seed China's Zhu Jiner in the fourth round, before eliminating compatriot Harika Dronavalli in the quarterfinals. The India No. 2 Harika, who had already reached the quarterfinals in 2023 (the first Indian to make the top eight), took the quarterfinal clash to the tiebreaks after playing two draws in the Classical leg, but the youngster proved too good to handle for the 34-year-old Harika. Divya will take on the winner of the second semifinal played between top seed China's Lei Tingjie and India No. 1 Koneru Humpy. Divya's result meant two Indians can get a spot at the prestigious Candidate tournament. If Humpy qualifies for the final, she will also be assured of a Candidates spot. Even if she loses, Humpy will have another shot at making it into the World Championship challenger tournament. The FIDE Women's World Cup is the most crucial event in the World Championship cycle, offering three qualifying spots for Candidates. The Women's Grand Prix Series 2024-25 and the Grand Swiss provide two spots each, while the last is reserved for the highest-placed player in the 'FIDE Women's Events 2025-26' series. The winner of the Candidates will earn the right to challenge the reigning World Champion, in this case, China's Ju Wenjun.