Head coach Amol Muzumdar said that India’s failure to capitalize on crucial occasions in the final overs and missed opportunities cost them the series after Australia won the second ODI by a thrilling three runs on Saturday, December 30, at the Wankhede stadium.
On a wicket that was favouring the slower bowlers, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, and Alana King all took advantage of several reprieves to make vital contributions that helped Australia reach a formidable total of 258, which they achieved. India got very close, but they were unable to seal the deal due to a glut of wickets in the last overs.
Speaking after the match, Amol Muzumdar added that fielding and fitness are areas they need to work on. “We’re in the process of building it up. There’s no doubt that our fielding was below par today. We dropped about six catches. It always happens in a game. Even they dropped a few. But having said that, we still are a work in progress. If we get time post this series, I’m sure we’ll try to spend a lot of time on fielding and fitness.”
India’s best batsman, Deepti Sharma, concluded with fantastic scores of 5 for 38. Later on, though, she had trouble with the bat and was only able to score 24 off 36 balls without being out, failing to help India win. Despite needing 35 off the final five overs, India’s performance in the closing stages was subpar as Pooja Vastrakar gave up 18 runs in the last over due to the pressure of the chase.
“That’s one area where I feel we need to have a look in and improve ourselves going forward, is the death overs” – Amol Muzumdar
Muzumdar made it clear that India has to improve in the death in both departments even though he did not want to hold Deepti accountable for the loss.
“At the end of the day we can all sit and say ‘oh, we missed out by three runs’ but there were about 600 balls bowled in that. So we can always go back and talk about it in hindsight. Yes, we fell short by three runs but I cannot name anyone for the defeat. It’s just a collective effort. Probably just one more shot or one more stop in the field could have done the trick,” he added.
“I think that didn’t tilt the balance but I thought that just gave the momentum to Australia a little bit going into the dressing room,” said Amol Muzumdar about the 18-run final over. “That’s one area where I feel we need to have a look in and improve ourselves going forward, is the death overs, whether it is batting or bowling. We’ll be working hard on that.”
Richa Ghosh, who batted at number three in the match and struck a career-high 96, was lavishly praised by Amol Muzumdar.
“Richa, Fantastic knock, what a knock it was. Under pressure, at No.3 – a new position for her – and she’s just proven why she is spoken about highly. Her talent speaks for herself. I think probably a hundred would have been an appropriate one for her. But unfortunately she got out. I think it was a special knock,” said Amol Muzumdar.
“Richa is our No.3, we believe that she can be a good top order player. We believe in her talent and you’ve seen what kind of shots she can play. And if she can use the first 10 overs and then play according to the situation, that is the best spot for her. At least now we feel that Richa at No.3 will be a very good choice,” he concluded.
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