Hamilton, March 11: India women’s head coach Ramesh Powar said on Friday he was surprised by the batting performance in the first 20 overs against New Zealand. At the same time, he was also confident that India would bounce back in their third match of the ICC Cricket Women’s World Cup against the West Indies on Saturday.
On Thursday, India was tied down by disciplined bowling from New Zealand and their inability to break free of the shackles. In the 261 chase at Seddon Park, India were 50/3 at the end of 20 overs and ultimately had 198 to lose by 62 runs to New Zealand.
“It was one of those days where things didn’t go our way. Honestly, I was also surprised by the way we batted in the first 20 overs. If you look back at the last six games we played against New Zealand, we were running well our plans. I think it’s the pressure of the World Cup, but I don’t want to give any excuse,” Powar said in the pre-match virtual press conference.
Asked about his conversations with the batsmen after the crushing loss to New Zealand, Powar commented: “Nothing different. It’s been a process for a while. If you’ve seen us in the last six months or the last three tours, we’ve “As a hitting unit, we used to struggle to get to 220 and we’ve been hitting 270 to 280. Now it’s up to the individuals. As I always say, it’s the players who come out and face that pressure and come out of it with their own skills and character.” Powar felt the match against an undefeated West Indies is a good opportunity for the Mithali Raj-led team to win again. “This is the right time to raise our hands and present performances, as we have been training for the last six months. We’ve been to England, Australia and we got to New Zealand early, we got all the practice opportunities we needed. So, it’s time for them as a group to stand up and deliver.” He further stated that the Indian team knows very well how to react and act against a variety of bowling attacks in the World Cup. “We have been following a particular process over a long period of time on how to tackle bowling attacks or particular bowlers, whether they are spinners, pacers, left arm spinners, or leg spinners. Everyone in this hitting unit knows how to react to certain bowling attacks.
“There is nothing like we will give an exam tomorrow and today we will study what we will do tomorrow. It’s been a process for a while. Everyone knows where we are as a group, batting or bowling groups. There is no need to put too much pressure on my team. They will react well and respond normally with great character as long as they have been pushed into the corner.”