Dubai, Sep 6 — India spinner N Sree Charani emphasised the importance of sticking to the team’s strengths on the difficult pitches at the ongoing Women’s T20 Asia Cup, after India’s spin attack dismantled Pakistan to secure a comfortable seven-wicket victory here on Saturday.
Charani and Prema Rawat led India’s bowling attack with three wickets each as Pakistan were bowled out for just 55 off 18.1 overs. India then chased the target in just 8.4 overs to record their fifth consecutive T20I victory over their arch-rivals.
With the pitches offering grip and enabling sharp turn, India’s spinners repeatedly deceived Pakistan’s batters with flight, drift and disciplined lengths. Charani returned excellent figures of 3-7 from her four overs, while Rawat finished with 3-9.
In a video shared by the BCCI, Charani said the conditions made it particularly important for Indian players to rely on their strengths rather than deviate from their established approach.
“The learnings are the same. You just need to stick to your strengths here because of the pitches that we are playing. It’s crucial to stick to our strengths. If we follow that, then we will do well going forward,” she said.
The youngster also praised Rawat, who delivered a match-winning spell alongside her, with the duo accounting for six of Pakistan’s 10 wickets.
“I didn’t like her wicket, but I liked her celebration,” Charani said of Rawat.
Charani also credited India’s coach, Avishkar Salvi, with helping the players prepare for various match situations during practice.
“It is simple. Avi, sir, also tells us in the practices whenever we go; he tells us to just do reps on the ball. He watches us. He also gives us inputs, whatever the situation is,” she said.
“If we are doing good, then he doesn’t tell us anything. He just tells us that we are doing good. If anything is going wrong, then he will be the first person to come to us. He will guide us,” she added.
Rawat, who also picked up three wickets, said repeatedly creating pressure situations during practice had helped her become more comfortable on the international stage.
“It is actually special for me because of all the matches I have played, like the WPL debut, the World Cup debut, and my India debut, and the whole crowd was there. So, I was not ready for the pressure. I was under a lot of pressure when I made my debut,” said Rawat.
“But when I go back for practice, I create that situation. So, because of that, I am used to it now. So, it feels good.”
Rawat also underlined the importance of carrying India’s winning momentum into the next stage of the tournament.
“Actually, to be honest, the next stage of winning is very important because if we take this confidence forward, it will give us more confidence. We don’t have to get used to it because we have achieved three wins. So, when we move forward in the matches, it will help us a lot,” she said.
Speaking of the match, India’s chase was briefly interrupted by Pakistan captain Fatima Sana, who claimed three wickets in the powerplay, removing Shafali Verma, Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana.
However, Harmanpreet Kaur, unbeaten on 18, and Deepti Sharma ensured there were no further setbacks as India completed another emphatic win over Pakistan.