India Win Asia Cup, But Coach Muzumdar Flags 13 Dropped Catches

India women’s cricket team head coach Amol Muzumdar has identified fielding as an area requiring improvement despite the team’s dominant campaign in the Asia Cup T20 tournament. India defeated Sri Lanka by 72 runs in the final on Sunday to win the continental title for the eighth time, completing an unbeaten run. However, 13 dropped catches across five matches, including three in the final, highlighted a weakness that the coaching staff believes must be addressed.

Muzumdar played down the fielding concerns while acknowledging that there remains considerable scope for improvement. Speaking after the final, he said the team had been working seriously on its fielding and that the players had invested significant time and effort during training sessions. He stressed that the mistakes did not reflect a lack of commitment, as the squad had made an honest attempt to strengthen this aspect of its game throughout the tournament.

The coach also rejected suggestions that India’s middle order had become a concern, particularly amid questions over captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s form. Muzumdar maintained that the team had produced strong batting performances in the conditions in Dubai and insisted that there were no major worries regarding the middle order. He pointed to the contributions made by the opening batters and the team’s ability to finish innings effectively as evidence of its overall batting strength.

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India’s opening partnership, particularly between Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, was one of the key features of the campaign. Muzumdar noted that it was unrealistic to expect every batter to score in every T20 match, given the nature of the format. He highlighted that India had posted substantial totals during the tournament, including 198 in the opening game and scores of 160 or more in almost every other match, demonstrating the side’s consistency with the bat.

Muzumdar further revealed that the team had placed strong emphasis on fitness and running between the wickets during its preparatory camp before the Asia Cup. The camp focused on improving physical conditioning, fielding standards and the players’ ability to convert singles into additional runs. According to the coach, the team had worked specifically on areas where it believed improvement was necessary, rather than relying solely on its existing strengths.

Despite winning the title, Muzumdar said India would not become complacent and would immediately begin preparing for the next challenge. He underlined that the team does not consider one successful tournament sufficient and intends to keep improving across departments. While the Asia Cup victory reinforced India’s dominance in women’s cricket in the region, the fielding lapses have given the coaching staff a clear priority ahead of the team’s upcoming assignments.

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