India women defeated South Africa by eight wickets in the final of the Quadrangular Series thanks to an unbeaten 127-stand by Poonam Raut and Mithali Raj in Potchefstroom.
Captain Raj not only guided the team to a resounding win but also became the first Indian captain to lead the side in 100 ODIs. The tournament also turned out to be good preparation for India ahead of the World Cup. Both Raut and Raj displayed top form throughout the tournament. Raut had scored an unbeaten 109 against Ireland while Raj came to the final after scoring two half-centuries. Veteran seamer Jhulan Goswami too, entered the record books by becoming the highest wicket taker In women’s ODIs.
Indian team would be aiming for their first world cup title. They have won their last four ODI series, but more importantly, have had youngsters step up and gain confidence with good performances.
“I am very happy with the way the team has shaped up before the World Cup,” Mithali Raj, who recently led India in her 100th ODI as captain, told bcci.tv. “We know that the run-up to the World Cup is important. Every player would want to be in form and every team is looking into things that they would want to develop going into the tournament. “It is a good thing because earlier we used to struggle in touring games to win series. Usually, we would win one odd game and lose the series, but now the team is winning even outside India, which is a big positive and it is commendable.”
“I definitely want this World Cup to be a very significant one in terms of the Indian Women’s cricket team,” Raj said. “It is an opportunity for us, a platform where most of the matches are televised or streamed so people are going to follow. It is our best chance to promote the sport in India.And if you are giving your best, and the way the team has been doing, I am sure a lot of people are now interested and will be tuning into the game, so it is important that we present the best standard that we have.” Raj too thinks that the league structure would help them to cope up well even if they had a bad day on the field, But she wants to perform at her best in their first match against England. “I would want the team to prepare mentally because that is something that will be tested in the World Cup,” Raj added. “You are up against the best and under a lot of pressure, so it is important that the girls are tuning themselves mentally.” She also stressed the importance of fielding and added: “The more you develop (in the fielding) department and the stronger you become, you will always have a chance to turn things around when you are fielding. Also, fine tune the roles that each one of us has to play.”