Chandigarh, July 26 -- The India women's cricket team created history on the recent tour of England, winning both T20I and ODI series. Mithali Raj, the former captain and legend, analyses the triumphs and looks ahead to the series against Australia and the ODI World Cup India will host later in the year in this interview to HT. Excerpts: Wins in England are always valuable. The conditions demand adaptability and I thought the team handled that well. What stood out was the clarity in roles and a noticeable improvement in fielding: areas that often go under the radar but matter immensely in a long tournament. With the World Cup approaching, building consistency and depth across departments is key, and this tour showed promising signs. Shafali can change a game in a few overs but what pleased me was how she paced her innings. That is an area she has worked on: learning to construct an innings, not just attack. As for Pratika, she's still early in her international journey. These initial experiences - even the tough ones - are crucial for development. Against Australia, Shafali's experience will be vital, provided she continues to find the right balance between freedom and responsibility. Harman finding form is great news. She brings a lot to the middle-order - not just with the bat, but also in the way she manages the game. That hundred in the last ODI was timely and well-paced. India need her experience, especially in tight situations. Hopefully, she can maintain that consistency going forward. It will be crucial as we head into the World Cup. Shree Charani's performance stood out. Her calmness under pressure and adaptability across conditions reflect her maturity. The exposure she got playing the WPL has definitely helped her. The WPL has been a huge step forward for India. It's not just a platform for showcasing talent, it accelerates growth. When players share a dressing room with international stars, they learn more than just technique, how to prepare, handle pressure and think about the game tactically. It raises the overall standard and that reflects in domestic and international performances. Fearlessness is a good quality but it has to be combined with game awareness. Beating England in England is never easy, so it is a massive morale boost before the home World Cup. That said, England had a new captain and head coach with a number of player rotations. Heather Knight did not play, Nat Sciver-Brunt didn't bowl, which left Sophie Ecclestone and Charlie Dean as the only experienced bowlers. To me, the big difference between the two teams was the fielding. India fielded much better in crucial moments, and that became a decisive factor. Pace bowling is an area where depth and durability are needed. Injuries to frontline pacers have hurt us but it's encouraging to see players like Amanjot and Kranti stepping up. Kranti is young, bowls around 114-116 kmph and you can see the intent which is a very positive sign. We need a well-managed pace rotation system and more exposure for emerging pacers to international conditions. Most importantly, fitness needs to be a priority for medium-pacers. And long-term, we need to identify and develop bowlers who can consistently hit 120+ kmph. There is definitely an opportunity here. We have a strong core, and playing at home is an advantage if we manage the pressure well. In this series, especially in the third ODI, there were moments when England pushed back - during the Sciver-Brunt-Lamb partnership and later when Dean and Davidson-Richards counter-attacked. But India stayed calm and responded at the right time. In a World Cup, it is those moments that decide outcomes. If we can hold our nerve, trust our game we will give ourselves a real chance....