‘Tough Time, Need To Stay Together’: Harmanpreet Kaur’s Blunt Admission After 2nd Straight T20I Defeat vs South Africa

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur admitted her team is going through a tough phase but stressed the need to stick together and bounce back after suffering their second successive defeat to South Africa in the women’s T20 International series here on Sunday. India went down meekly by eight wickets in the second women’s T20I to trail 0-2 in the five-match series here on Sunday. Asked to bat first, India were all out for 147 and SA chased down the target quite comfortably, reaching 148 for 2 in 17.1 overs.

“Tough time. We as a team need to stay together,” Harmanpreet said at the post-match presentation.

“Hopefully, we’ll go (to Johannesburg for the third match on April 22) with positive approach. T20 format is like that: it’s about staying together.” Harmanpreet rued that her team could not do well in the death-over batting and powerplay bowling.

“I think with bat, we were not able to contribute way we wanted. Last ten overs of the innings we did not bat well. We need to think how we go about next three matches. When you’re not getting the shots, rotating strike is a key point. We were discussing… we can rotate strike and it can help us through that time. But it’s a time when things didn’t work.

“Powerplay, while bowling, is not going our way.” Opener Shafali Verma was the lone bright spot for India with a 38-ball 57, which was studded with seven fours and two sixes.

“Shafali been a great talent for us. Attacking batter. Hope she’ll continue for us,” the skipper said.

South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt said restricting India to 147 all out was a good job done by her side.

“Pretty good catching, one or two put down, but we took one or two good ones as well. After start they had, restricting them was great,” she said.

“Area we struggled with last season (death bowling), bowlers identified bowling slower ones into the wicket was helping. It’s something we’ve talked a lot about. Being present on the cricket field. Little things showing on the field.” “(We’re in) great position to be in. But India, world champs in ODI cricket, they’ll come back pretty hardly. Switch off tomorrow and then be ready for the next one.” 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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