“We had an easy and frank talk with Ajinkya Rahane” - Harmanpreet Kaur
Indian women’s Test vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur has revealed that the team got a chance to speak with the men’s team vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane regarding batting in England. Having played a lot of Test cricket, Rahane has shared some valuable inputs with the women’s team.
The Indian men’s and women’s teams were quarantining in Mumbai ahead of the England tour before flying together for the UK on June 2. The Indian women’s team is preparing for the one-off Test against England in Bristol that starts on June 16.
Ahead of the match, Harmanpreet Kaur said at a virtual press conference that Rahane gave them some batting tips and also shared his experience of playing in England.
She said:
“I have not played a lot of red-ball cricket. I have only played two matches but, as a batting group, we try to gain as much inputs as we can. This time, we got a chance to speak to Ajinkya Rahane also.
"He has a lot of experience and shared the same with us — how to bat under such conditions and what kind of approach we should have for the long format of the game. He also told us how to split our innings into different phases.
"We had an easy and frank talk with him. He has played a lot of Test cricket, so it was really nice to get that chance to speak to him.”
While the Indian women’s team will be facing England in Bristol, the men’s team is preparing to take on New Zealand in the World Test Championship (WTC) final in Southampton that gets under way on June 18.
Didn’t get any practice games, need to adapt quickly: Harmanpreet Kaur
Harmanpreet Kaur admitted that since the team hasn’t played any practice games, it will be imperative for them to adapt quickly. The 32-year-old added that all players are trying to be in the right frame of mind because the mental aspect also matters a lot.
Harmanpreet Kaur said:
“Whatever time we got, we tried to prepare as much as we could. We have also tried to stay in the best frame of mind. We have not got a lot of time to prepare. We didn’t get any practice games or something like that.
"But still, as players, it is imperative for us to adapt to the situation as quickly as possible. Wickets are quite different here as compared to India, the ball will also swing.
"We have practiced hard in the nets for it. We have two more days to prepare ourselves. So our objective is to work hard and be ready for the game.
“It is important to stay positive. Because, when you are happy, you play better cricket. We discuss about playing to our strengths and we want to continue playing in the manner that we have been doing till now."
Harmanpreet Kaur has featured in two Tests so far, in which she has totaled just 26 runs, with her highest score being 17. She claimed nine wickets in the Mysore Test against South Africa in 2014, as India won the match by an innings and 34 runs.