Fatima Sana commits to attacking cricket as India hope for reboot

A day ahead of the iconic clash between India and Pakistan at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024, skipper Fatima Sana was riding high on confidence and sticking by the attacking brand of cricket the team has adopted.

"I have been watching that whichever team we played against - played attacking cricket," Sana said ahead of the marquee contest.

"As a bowler, I used to feel that whoever used to bowl against us, used to make to hit us from the first ball. I wanted our team to have batters who can punish the bowler from the first ball. We have worked a lot on this and you will see the result soon hopefully."

Sana walked in at No.7 in the opening game against Sri Lanka, smashing a 20-ball 30 to give Pakistan's total a final push.

The knock proved to be decisive as Pakistan trumped their Asian counterparts with Sana becoming the second-youngest captain after Meg Lanning to win a Women's T20 World Cup match.

The skipper elaborated on her ambitions as an all-rounder and hailed the influence of the power-hitting coach, that has overseen Pakistan's new approach to batting in T20s.

Watch Fatima Sana's brilliant cameo against Sri Lanka in the opening game

"I always wanted to be the number one all-rounder, because obviously bowling is a team sport but the team wins when you are good at it all, even when you are good in fielding," Sana said.

"So that's why I was trying to prove myself always in helping the team win. So, I think that was the only challenge for me. That I should take my batting along. Our power-hitting coach has helped a lot of girls. I think all the credit goes to him because he has given us the belief that you can become an all-rounder."

"If you look at the last series of South Africa, a lot of our girls have improved in power-hitting.

"I think the girls believe that even if the fielders are standing behind, if they hit, they can go for six. It's a good thing that all the girls are confident in this. Personally, I used to bat a lot before, but I didn't know if I could hit or not. But with that belief now it's become a lot easier."

Watch highlights of New Zealand's win over India in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024

Meanwhile, in the other camp, India are hoping for a fresh start after a loss to new Zealand in their opening game. Although the turnaround time is quick, bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi brushed aside any concerns.

"I mean, when we prepare for a campaign like a World Cup, so there will be back-to-back games, so every team will be having their own strengths, they will be having their own weaknesses," Salvi said in the press conference.

"So as a bowling unit, as a batting unit and as a fielding unit, we tend to have our own plans to go out there and execute."

Although the bowling unit was not at its best in the previous game against the White Ferns, Salvi dismissed it as a one-off and backed the bowlers to stick to their plans and deliver.

Watch Fatima Sana's POTM performance against Sri Lanka in the opening game of WT20WC 2024

"It's basically just believing in your processes, what has worked for you so far. I mean, what is the sample size of certain things working for you? We just go by it.

"And for the bowling unit, obviously, they need to stay strong, stay united and stay focused on the next challenges that they will face upon.

"At the same time, they should be, I mean, whatever they have been following so far, what's been working well for them, they just go with that. So, it's just one odd game where probably someone might have gone for runs."

With just four games in the Group stage, India will know that another hiccup could be very concerning. India have only lost three of their 15 T20Is to Pakistan with the teams last clashing in the Women's Asia Cup earlier this year when India triumphed by seven wickets.