India women’s head coach Amol Muzumdar at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday. Pic/Atul Kamble

“We are moving towards the goal. Every match and series will have its own importance. This series against England and Australia [starting on December 21] will count a lot. We had a chat about it and they are all raring to go. Every step that we take is [about] moving towards the World Cup,” Muzumdar said during the pre-match press conference on Tuesday. 

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Muzumdar, who was head coach of the Mumbai Ranji Trophy team, has prioritised fielding and fitness for the Indian women’s team. “Fielding and fitness are of highest priority. There’s no compromise on these two aspects. There will be a lot of camps post this series, a lot of cricket will be played at NCA [National Cricket Academy in Bangalore] or some other place. That means more exposure. All fringe and new players will also get an opportunity. “We have had fitness tests at the NCA, and they are already in place. We will follow them rigorously and religiously. There will be three tests in a season,” Muzumdar revealed.

When mid-day asked him about his expectations from top-order batters like Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues and his advice to them, Muzumdar said: “We need to play a certain brand of cricket, which we’ve been known for. Shafali and Jemimah are both very important cogs in the wheel. I would like them to continue what they’ve been doing. Fearless cricket is something which I’ve always advocated. So, we would be playing that brand of cricket,” Muzumdar said.

Harmanpreet’s Indian team beat Sri Lanka by 19 runs to clinch the Asian Games gold medal in Hangzhou last September.