'My message to Indian team..': Mithali Raj points out two things India must address after Asia Cup defeat

Former India women's team captain Mithali Raj has advised India to sort out a major thing ahead of the Women's T20 World Cup.

Harmanpreet Kaur and her troops succumbed to a crushing defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka in the Final of the Women's Asia Cup T20 on Sunday. In a shocking result, the star-studded Indian team failed against the hosts in Dambulla.

After the match, Mithali Raj pointed out a massive problem in the women's lineup which needs to be addressed ahead of the T20 World Cup. She said that the no. 3 batting positions have to be sorted along with the bowling which also needs attention.

"Come October, India is going to participate in the biggest tournament, the T20 Women's World Cup. The areas I think India should really focus on improving are the number 3 batter position. They are still searching for the right batter to go at number 3. They have tried Hemlata and they have tried Chetry. But ideally, they should have someone who can really go big after the sort of opening partnership that Shafali and Smriti would provide. Also, the bowling aspect needs attention because right now they are going with only 5 bowlers. They probably require a 6th bowler, someone like an all-rounder who can bowl a few overs as well as bat. I think these are the areas India should look to tweak before getting into the World Cup," Mithali Raj said to Star Sports.

She also wished luck to the Indian team and sent them a direct message full of optimism for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

"My message to the Indian team would be to play good cricket, play hard cricket, and compete. I believe you all have a great chance because it's in Bangladesh, a location with conditions that suit us. Our strengths have always been the spinners, and this time around our batting is also doing really well. So, good luck to you all," she added.