'It was a great performance by the girls' - Sudha Shah

Sudha Shah, the coach of the Indian women's team, has praised the fighting abilities of the side after their historic series win against England. The Indians wrapped up the two-Test series 1-0 after winning the second Test by five wickets, and the coach was especially pleased by the manner in which the team fought back after losing the one-day series 4-0.

"It was really satisfying to see the team picking themselves up after the ODI series loss and making England follow on for the first time ever," Shah was quoted as saying by PTI. England were bowled out for a paltry 99 in their first innings after India made 307. England put up a better performance with the bat the second time around, scoring 305, but India were only left with a target of 98, which they achieved with some difficulty, losing five wickets.

"We did well to win the first ever Twenty20 we played and we dominated in both Tests with our girls taking the first innings lead in both Tests," Shah continued. "We still have work to do in certain areas, especially our fitness and fielding, but it was a great performance by the girls in this Test." Shah was also coach of the team when they beat England in the 1999 one-day series and during the World Cup in 2005, when the Indians reached the final.

Mithali Raj, the captain, insisted that the team spirit in the camp was high despite the defeats in the ODIs. "I am happy that the team made a strong comeback. The team spirit was high and everyone contributed to the victory. We need to improve on some areas before we play the quadrangular series next year. Winning a Test series in England was a wonderful experience."

The star performer in the Taunton victory was seam bowler Jhulan Goswami, who took five wickets in each innings and ended with superb figures of 10 for 78. "Every time I was given the ball, I wanted to give a breakthrough to the team," she said. "Also, the ODI loss was humiliating and we wanted to prove ourselves. We planned well for the matches."