When Harmanpreet’s team choked for 124 in their modest pursuit of 138 in the Women’s Asia Cup here, India lost to archrivals Pakistan for just the third time in their history.
Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of the India women’s team, blamed their shocking defeat to Pakistan on a change in the batting order, claiming it was a mistake to give batters ample practice before the T20 World Cup the following year. When Harmanpreet’s team choked for 124 in their modest pursuit of 138 in the Women’s Asia Cup here, India lost to archrivals Pakistan for just the third time in their history.
It was an easy target to pursue. We were unable to take singles and rotate the strike in the middle overs. At the post-game presentation, Harmanpreet remarked, “We played way too many dot balls.
As India continued to experiment in the run-up to the T20 World Cup in South Africa next year, opener Shafali Verma continued to be rested, and Harmanpreet returned to lead the team but batted well down at No. 7.
“I believe we were attempting to give other batters an opportunity in the middle. As the tournament progresses, you have to do it, but it backfired and lost us the game, she added.
Sabbhineni While Shafali was away, Meghana continued to operate while getting out for only $15. Smriti Mandhana, 17, was also lost for India during the power play.
Inexperienced middle-order members Dayalan Hemalatha (20) and Pooja Vastrakar (5) failed to steady the ship, and Jemimah Rodrigues (2) also fell cheaply.
“Whoever is fresh to the team should play enough games before the World Cup, in my opinion. The opportunity was fantastic for others, according to Harmanpreet, who scored a run-a-ball 12.
At the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in July, India last faced their bitter rivals, which they won by an eight-wicket margin en route to a silver medal.
“No team is treated lightly by us. It’s an element of the game. They deserved to win because they played solid cricket. We must strengthen ourselves and work on certain aspects, Harmanpreet remarked.
On Saturday, Bangladesh, the current champions and hosts, will be India’s next opponent.
However, Pakistan has turned things around following a shocking loss to Thailand on Thursday and is now tied with India (six) in terms of points.
“After yesterday, it was a very important game for us. We did a great job executing the plan. We simply wanted to take measured chances, according to Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof.
batting order middleman Nida Dar led their batting with a 37-ball 56 not out. She contributed as well with her offspin, finishing with 2 for 23.
Nida contributed significantly to our success. We have spaces in the middle, and since we know Nida can’t hit, we want to hit the strong points.
“We didn’t accurately analyze the situation” (yesterday). We made good use of the conditions today. Today, we carried out the plans really effectively, she continued. PTI ATK ATK TAP TAP
