India Women’s Practice in Chelmsford: Smriti Mandhana’s Rhythm, Harmanpreet Kaur’s Fitness Concern and Water Balloon Fun at Essex
Trisha Ghosal, Chelmsford
The India women’s team wrapped up an engaging and eventful practice session at the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground in Chelmsford on Tuesday evening, blending serious preparation with moments of genuine laughter ahead of the T20I series.
What started as a routine warm-up quickly turned into one of the more entertaining fielding sessions seen at training grounds in recent times. Water balloons became the tool of choice for India’s catching drills, forcing players to soften their hands while taking catches. The concept was simple — catch cleanly or risk getting drenched.
Quite a few balloons burst during the exercise, and at one stage Smriti Mandhana ended up with water splashed all over her sunglasses. Yet the mood within the group remained extremely light-hearted, with players laughing through the session while still maintaining intensity.
Shafali and Renuka Steal the Show
The fun did not stop when the official drill ended.
With a few water balloons still remaining, the Indian players broke into an impromptu game, chasing each other around like schoolchildren at the end of a sports day. As expected, close friends Shafali Verma and Renuka Singh Thakur became central characters in the chaos.
Renuka eventually caught up with Shafali despite the opener trying to escape alongside Mandhana. Even after Shafali jokingly protested that she was unwell, Renuka went ahead and smashed a water balloon on her teammate.
Shafali, however, was not going to let the matter rest.
In a hilarious moment later, Shafali pretended to simply drink water while Renuka cautiously watched her movements. Once Renuka dropped her guard and turned away, Shafali emptied the water in revenge, leaving both players and support staff in splits.
Smriti Mandhana Looks Sharp in Nets
Once the fun subsided, India shifted gears quickly into a focused batting session.
Mandhana and Bharti Fulmali were the first pair to enter the nets, while another group, including Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh, trained in a separate section away from the media viewing area.
Mandhana’s preparation routine remained as meticulous as ever. After beginning with throwdowns, the left-hander moved into the nets and immediately looked in excellent touch, particularly square of the wicket and through the off-side.
Anything with width disappeared quickly.
Her timing through cover and extra cover stood out, and she cleared the ropes multiple times during the session. However, one familiar issue surfaced again — deliveries angling into her pads on a nagging good length continued to trouble her occasionally.
Mandhana repeatedly looked slightly uncertain over whether to commit fully onto the front foot or stay back, especially against balls targeting the leg-stump channel. It remains a known area opposition bowlers often attack, and the same pattern was visible in Chelmsford.
Still, overall, Mandhana looked fluent and confident at the crease.
Bharti Fulmali Shows Promise, But Inconsistency Persists
Bharti Fulmali perhaps produced the most explosive hitting display of the afternoon.
For the opening phase of her net session, she struck the ball exceptionally cleanly, sending several shots soaring towards the stands and even clearing the ground once. Her bat swing looked free-flowing, aggressive, and fearless.
Yet the inconsistency that has often followed Bharti also appeared soon afterwards.
After an impressive start, she began missing deliveries, misreading lines, and failing to maintain the same rhythm through subsequent rounds. The contrast between her first two sets and the next phase highlighted both her immense hitting potential and the challenge of sustaining consistency at the highest level.
Shafali’s Middling Drill, Deepti’s Tactical Experiment
Shafali Verma spent a significant amount of time working specifically on middling the ball during throwdowns, repeatedly practising straight drives and cover drives before entering full nets.
Deepti Sharma, meanwhile, quietly worked on something tactically fascinating.
The all-rounder appeared to be experimenting with a different kind of footwork against pace bowling, possibly with T20 cricket in mind. From observation, it looked as though Deepti may be preparing separate movement patterns for pacers and spinners, an adjustment that could become extremely important in English conditions.
It was one of the more intriguing technical elements of the entire session.
Yastika Practises as Specialist Fielder
Another notable observation from training involved Yastika Bhatia.
The left-hander spent considerable time practising catching and fielding without wicketkeeping gloves, suggesting India may be considering her primarily as a batting option while continuing with Richa Ghosh behind the stumps.
Yastika looked sharp during the drills and participated actively throughout the session.
Meanwhile, Radha Yadav focused heavily on length bowling during extended practice near the nets.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s Calf Under Watch
Perhaps the biggest point of concern from India’s practice involved captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
The skipper did bat during the session, which itself is a positive sign, but she did not appear completely comfortable physically. Harmanpreet was repeatedly stretching her right calf and spent time working alongside the trainer during practice.
Visible taping around the calf area could also be noticed later in the evening.
At the moment, there is no immediate indication that Harmanpreet will miss the opening T20I. She batted without major restriction, and India are unlikely to leave out their captain unless absolutely necessary.
However, the real question may revolve around her mobility in the field, particularly if the stiffness persists over the next 24 hours.
India train again tomorrow, which should provide a clearer picture regarding her condition.
High Catching Ends Intense Session
The evening concluded with extensive high-catching drills using tennis balls under the supervision of Munish Bali.
Players were repeatedly encouraged to attempt one-handed catches, including overhead takes and difficult swirling chances. The emphasis on reflex catching and athletic movement suggested India are paying particular attention to fielding sharpness ahead of the series, an area where they have often lagged behind.
By the end of the session, the atmosphere remained upbeat, energetic, and competitive — exactly the kind of environment teams hope for before an important white-ball assignment.
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