New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) Former India batter Veda Krishnamurthy has praised India’s dominant 3-0 T20I series victory over Zimbabwe, describing the team’s performances as an encouraging beginning to Smriti Mandhana’s tenure as full-time captain.
India closed out the Zimbabwe series with three wins, establishing momentum under Mandhana’s leadership. Speaking about India’s approach during the series, Veda also highlighted the importance of all-rounder Niki Prasad’s versatility, backing the youngster’s ability to contribute with the bat, ball and in the field as India prepare for the upcoming Champions Trophy.
“You want to dominate when you’re playing a series, and that’s exactly what I think Team India as a whole have done. We talk about convincing victories, and the last two games were just that. In the first game, you would say they were pushed, but eventually, it was still a convincing victory. A strong finish is always important, and it’s a good start to Smriti Mandhana’s full-time captaincy career.
“It is important that you play a certain brand of cricket. India have clearly shown that this is exactly how they want to play. It’s good preparation going into the Champions Trophy. Three T20 games are done, with three more left before the big tournament. The last two T20 World Cups have not gone in India’s favour. So, there will be pressure on this Indian team to come out and perform well in the Champions Trophy,” Veda told JioStar.
While the series result offered encouragement, the former India international also turned her attention to the emerging talent within the squad. Niki Prasad, who made her debut during the series, earned praise for offering India multiple options rather than being restricted to one specific role.
Niki’s ability to operate in the middle order, deliver a couple of overs and contribute in the field could prove particularly valuable in the shortest format, where the smallest contributions can influence a match. Veda believes the youngster’s composure on debut was another encouraging sign.
“She brings a lot to the table because she has the ability to bowl those couple of overs in the middle. She’s someone who can bat at number five or six, and we saw that under pressure on debut, she knows how to hold herself. Also, she is an excellent fielder. The advantage of being a good fielder is that you can have bad days with the bat or ball and not contribute much, but on the field, she will definitely save you 10-15 runs easily. And it’s such a big difference when you talk about T20 cricket,” she added.
–IANS
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