Asia won, Indian eves eye Oz

Having conquered Asia with ease, India8217;s women cricketers now gear up to visit Australia in February, their first full tour Down Under ...

3 min readMumbaiJan 6, 2006 12:00 AM IST

Having conquered Asia with ease, India’s women cricketers now gear up to visit Australia in February, their first full tour Down Under since 1991. And their first Test will be in Adelaide, a lucky venue for their male counterparts.

Winning the Asia Cup — which included crushing wins over hosts Pakistan and Sri Lanka — was big but the Australian sojourn will be a bigger exposure trip — and then the pinnacle when they step onto the Lord’s turf later in the year.

’’More than the result, it was playing brilliant cricket that was important at the Asia Cup. We knew Pakistan, Sri Lanka were not very strong, but we wanted to play our best cricket,’’ said Women’s Cricket Association of India secretary Shubhangi Kulkarni, when the squad returned here today.

The virtual walk in the park offered the squad an opportunity to try out new batting combinations. ’’They were big wins but we shuffled the openers around and it helped with Jaya Sharma getting the record ton and Karuna Jain and Monica Sumra both coming good. Then Mithali got the hundred in the final, so the girls look in good nick before the big tours,’’ Kulkarni added.

The season, which kicked off with a one-day series win over England, now gets tougher. Selection trial matches will be held over the next few weeks, and will be followed by a ten-day camp on ‘‘wickets, similar to those likely to be found in Australia.’’

The last Indian team that played in Australia was a decent bowling and batting unit but carried the old handicap: Poor running between the wickets. ‘‘Since then we’ve improved a lot in running between the wickets and now we field well’’, Kulkarni said. ‘‘In fact, we enforce a minimum standard for fielding so in that sense it will be the first major tour since the new era.’’

Armed with four good medium pacers and spinners who performed exceedingly well at the Asia Cup, she’s hoping that the Indians will make the most of the tour against the World-Cup winners. ’’It’s a different ball-game taking on the Aussies since none from the current bunch have ever played there. But, we’ll keep the momentum of the season going.’’

Shivani Naik

Shivani Naik is a senior sports journalist and Assistant Editor at The Indian Express. She is widely considered one of the leading voices in Indian Olympic sports journalism, particularly known for her deep expertise in badminton, wrestling, and basketball. Professional Profile Role: Assistant Editor and Columnist at The Indian Express. Specialization: While she covers a variety of sports, she is the primary authority on badminton for the publication. She also writes extensively about tennis, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics. Writing Style: Her work is characterized by "technical storytelling"—breaking down the biomechanics, tactics, and psychological grit of athletes. She often provides "long reads" that explore the personal journeys of athletes beyond the podium. Key Topics & Recent Coverage (Late 2025) Shivani Naik’s recent articles (as of December 2025) focus on the evolving landscape of Indian sports as athletes prepare for the 2026 Asian Games and beyond: Indian Badminton's "Hulks": She has recently written about a new generation of Indian shuttlers characterized by power and physicality, such as Ayush Shetty and Sathish Karunakaran, marking a shift from the traditionally finesse-based Indian style. PV Sindhu’s Resurgence: A significant portion of her late-2025 work tracks PV Sindhu’s tactical shifts under new coaching, focusing on her "sparkle" and technical tweaks to break out of career slumps. The "Group of Death": In December 2025, she provided detailed tactical previews for Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s campaign in the BWF World Tour Finals. Tactical Deep Dives: She frequently explores technical trends, such as the rise of "backhand deception" in modern badminton and the importance of court drift management in international arenas. Legacy and History: She often revisits the careers of legends like Saina Nehwal and Syed Modi, providing historical context to current Indian successes. Notable Recent Articles BWF World Tour Finals: Satwik-Chirag have it all to do to get through proverbial Group of Death. (Dec 2025) The age of Hulks in Indian badminton is here. (Dec 2025) Treadmill, Yoganidra and building endurance: The themes that defined the resurgence of Gayatri and Treesa. (Dec 2025) Ayush Shetty beats Kodai Naraoka: Will 20-year-old be the headline act in 2026? (Nov 2025) Modern Cinderella tale – featuring An Se-young and a shoe that fits snugly. (Nov 2025) Other Sports Interests Beyond the court, Shivani is a passionate follower of South African cricket, sometimes writing emotional columns about her irrational support for the Proteas, which started because of love for Graeme Smith's dour and doughty Test playing style despite being a left-hander, and sustained over curiosity over their heartbreaking habit of losing ICC knockouts. You can follow her detailed analysis and columns on her official Indian Express profile page. ... Read More

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