England coaches praise Indian spinners Saika and Shreyanka

Spinners Saika Ishaque (left) and Shreyanka Patil. Pic/BCCI

The three-match women's T20I series that England won 2-1 at the Wankhede over the last week, was all about grooming young players for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Bangladesh (September-October 2024). India presented maiden caps to left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque and off-spinner Shreyanka Patil. Both finished with five wickets apiece including three each in the final T20 to help India dismiss the visitors for 126 on Sunday, a target India chased with five wickets in hand. Patil won the Player of the Match award for her 3-19. Ishaque was not far behind, picking up 3-22.

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‘Shreyanka is a real talent'

Both earned praise from the coaches of both teams. England head coach Jonathan Lewis said on Sunday night: "Saika had a good WPL. She has great control. Shreyanka turns the ball well and looks like a real prospect. She fields well, moves well, can hold the bat. She is a real talent." Meanwhile, India's fielding coach Munish Bali called Shreyanka one of the positives of the series. "There are a lot of positives, especially youngsters like Shreyanka. Same with Amanjot [Kaur], who is an impact player. The way she bowled the fourth over, conceding only one run, was amazing. She also hit three fours to win the match in the 19th over including one through the covers off the first ball she faced. These youngsters bring a lot of energy on the field. Fielding and fitness go side by side. Amanjot, Jemimah [Rodrigues] and Shreyanka are fit and that is why there is a lot of energy on the field."

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Bali pleased with Renuka

Also among the positives was India picking up wickets consistently in the Powerplay particularly by medium-pacer Renuka Singh. Lewis was particularly pleased with Renuka. "She swings the ball well. One of the areas for improvement for us is to not lose wickets in the Powerplay. We lost wickets in the Powerplay. That is something we need to address. It is a nice time to bat but also a tricky time to bat with the ball swinging. Renuka Singh bowled really well with great control," said Lewis, a former England fast bowler and also the chief coach of UP Warriorz in the Women's Premier League. Bali added: "Renuka knows her game very well. She sticks to her limitations, knows the areas she needs to bowl in and is very smart."