Indian women's team needs to be more athletic: Fielding coach Abhay Sharma 

Abhay Sharma, the fielding coach of the Indian women’s team, has admitted that a lot of work needs to be done as far as athleticism and fitness of players is concerned.

Abhay Sharma was with the Indian women’s during the home series against South Africa in March. However, he did not get a lot of time with the players since the series was announced suddenly. The fielding coach is hoping to bring out some positive changes in the team during the series in England.

Speaking to PTI, Abhay Sharma conceded that the Indian women’s team is lagging behind in fielding in comparison to foreign sides. He elaborated:

"Overall development is needed as far as fielding is concerned. The game is changing, you have to be more athletic. Technically, work needs to be done.”

Abhay Sharma, who has also worked with the men's India U-19 team, further added:

"What I observed is that a lot of girls are struggling with their throwing techniques. If you develop wrong technique in your early days then it troubles you with injuries. Once the technical side is taken care of, then you can build on the strength part."

Asked for his feedback on the series against South Africa, Abhay Sharma replied that the opposition team was definitely much quicker and flexible in the field. The field coach added that he will try to interact with the players on a one-on-one basis to understand each one’s strengths and weaknesses in a better manner.

Abhay Sharma conceded:

“As of now technically they really need to work hard. What I have noticed in women's cricket is that a lot of U-19 players are going on to play for the senior team. Workload is more on their shoulders and they are not that strong. We have to accept that there is a huge difference between foreign teams and our girls. The South African girls were more athletic, they cover the ground quicker and they are little stronger also.”

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Need to improve running between the wickets: Abhay Sharma

The series against South Africa was India’s first in a year as the cricketing calender was affected due to COVID-19. According to Abhay Sharma, apart from batting and bowling, the Indian team was poor with their running between the wickets too. He said in this regard:

"Last series what I saw was there was a lapse in judgement in some cases, may be because they were playing after a long time. A lot depends on the frame of of mind. We will work sincerely on that front. The running between wickets is a huge part of the game. If the team is having good coordination then you can convert those singles into twos and that is one area where we can add pressure on the opposition."

Abhay Sharma also added that young Shafali Verma is working very hard on her fielding, and should show improvements pretty soon. He stated:

"As far as weight loss is concerned she has really worked hard but just weight loss doesn't make you a better fielder or a player. We are working on her fielding, things like cutting down the angles and judging the ball early.”

‘I got that sunshine in my pocket, Got that good soul in my feet!!’ 🏏I know I’m a little late to the party, but massive for @BCCIWomen to have another test match added to this year’s itinerary. 😍 Kudos to everyone who has made this possible.🙌🏾 #TestCricketIsTheBest

— Shikha Pandey (@shikhashauny) May 21, 2021

The Indian women’s team will play a one-off Test, three ODIs and as many T20s in England in June. Later in the year, India will tour Australia for six limited-overs matches and a Test match at the WACA, which will be the women’s team’s first pink-ball encounter.