Mumbai, Mar 14: India were outplayed by the visiting Australian team in the second ODI of the three-match series at the Wankhede. India skipper Anjum Chopra acknowledged the performances of Meg Lanning (128 runs) and Ellyse Perry (five for 19) that helped Australia win the match by a staggering 221 runs, and seal the series 2-0, with one ODI yet to be played.
In the post-match interaction with the media, Anjum spoke about the transition that the Indian women’s cricket team was undergoing while reflecting on the match, and the recently concluded tour to West Indies. Excerpts:
On the match
I think it was a brilliant spell by Ellyse Perry. You can’t take away anything from that five-wicket haul. She cleared the top-order and then came back to polish off the tail. Not much that you can do against this kind of bowling.
On opting to field first
There was a feeling that there was purchase in the track early on in the first hour or so. We did manage to get a couple of wickets early but the spinners didn’t hit the right areas. But [that’s] taking nothing away from Meg Lanning; I think she played a superb knock. She took the game away from us.
The idea was to field and restrict the Australians because in Ahmedabad we managed to restrict them to 227 and [the additional] 30-40 runs were probably going against us. In the last four overs we conceded 40-45 runs so the idea was to restrict them to under 200 runs or 220; then we had everything to play for, but it didn’t happen like that.
On chasing 301 runs
When you are chasing in excess of 250 runs, you already require six runs an over. The idea is to go behind the bowling but having said that, obviously the batting has not been doing so well. The idea was to first play yourself in and then not lose wickets. Chasing seven and eight runs an over can be possible if you have wickets in hand. But from the start of the game we kept losing wickets so there was no time for the batsmen to come back and maintain [the run-rate] [...].
On whether the quick bowlers could have made better use of the conditions early on
Yes, certainly they could have. Jhulan [Goswami] bowled a good spell and Rumeli [Dhar] was good in patches. But probably since they are the only two quick bowlers playing in the squad, maybe a little more inroads into the batting line-up [by them would have helped]. [If we had] more wickets to start with, [it would have helped] because the Australians bat deep and they bat well. So early on, wickets would have put them a little more under pressure.
On the fielding lapses
There were quite a few fielding lapses. It was an ordinary fielding display today. Probably that also cost us [the match]. Yet again, not to take anything away from the Australians, they batted really well and they were a much better side today.
On India losing the series in West Indies earlier and now losing to Australia at home
In West Indies the games that we lost were pretty close. I will take you back another year when the West Indies were touring here. There were close games too at that point of time but we ended up winning those games. In the West Indies [this time], they were last-over matches which they ended up winning. [...] The T20 matches were going either side [too] which meant that we were able to restrict them. So we were losing close matches; I won’t say that it was a debacle. The results definitely speak [differently] but I won’t say that the West Indies are an inexperienced side or a weak side. They are a side that has been doing well over the past couple of years and they have been fairly consistent. [...] We know that the Australians are the best side.
We are in a kind of a transformation phase where we are getting new players in the squad. A lot of senior players like me have come back. Some players are coming in from injuries. It is a little [bit of a] mixed bag [...] In our hearts and minds we are positive that we will come out with a better show.
On needing to arrest the slump in women’s cricket
When we say we need to keep improving, we can’t improve sitting at home; we need to keep improving by playing international cricket at all levels. We do play cricket but it is not enough cricket. The West Indies have improved [because] they have been playing consistent and regular cricket. You need to be able to go out there and have an equal chance of succeeding and failing so you know how to come out of it and maintain your success rate. [...] Every player needs to go out there every day or every second day and say this is what I have done and this where my strength and weaknesses lie. We ourselves are feeling very bad because we have not lost so many games [in a row before]. [...] We are not a bad team but we have to keep going on and on. If we get saturated, somebody is going to get better than us [...] We have hardly played international cricket in the last year. [We played against the] West Indies way back in January [2011 and]. After that we played in England in June-July [2011 and now], almost eight months down the line, we go and play an international series. You need to go and keep going back to international cricket. The pace at which international cricket is improving, it is commendable, it is very good. But at the same pace, or probably at a faster pace, we need to keep improving ourselves as well.
On whether unification had improved women’s cricket
Absolutely! I have no complaints against that. It is just that we need to play more matches. It is not a complaint [...] I have to do my homework, I have to study and I have to keep competing [...] I just need to keep going back there and playing. Success and failure is part of sport and part of life but it is the process that matters. If the process is right than the results will definitely follow. [...] You need to keep raising the bar [...].
[...] Unification has helped. Who doesn’t want to play under the banner of BCCI? When you are playing for the country and under the main association, you obviously feel proud of it. You are one against millions of people who is selected to play for the country. It is a big thing and a plus point wearing the team jersey.
