Indian team has improved massively since T20 WC last year: Smriti Mandhana ahead of Australia series

Indian women’s cricket team opener Smriti Mandhana said the team has improved “massively” since the World T20 final defeat to Australia last year and will be “extra competitive” during the upcoming series in Australia which also features its first day-night Test outing.

India and Australia are set to lock horns in a multi-format series comprising three ODIs, a day-night Test and three T20s, starting on September 21. The Test will be played from September 30 to October 3 in Canberra.

The last time the two sides met was at the women’s T20 World Cup final at the MCG last year where the hosts had hammered India by 85 runs to lift the trophy.

“The team has grown massively (since the T20 World Cup),” Mandhana told ‘The Scoop podcast’.

The Indian squad finished its 14-day hard hotel quarantine on Monday.

“Covid was a big break after the T20 World Cup and a lot of girls had a chance to go back and understand more about their games, where they lack as an individual and come back stronger.”

The stylish southpaw said that after the Covid-19 enforced break, the Indian team is slowly getting back into the rhythm of playing cricket.

“The whole team has worked on their fitness and skills…we are still getting into a…

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