Vadodara, Oct 25 (IANS) Harmanpreet Kaur, who was named Player of the Match for her brilliant 126 in India’s 121-run win over Zimbabwe in the second women’s ODI, said her focus now was simply on enjoying her batting and revealed that she batted in the afternoon heat at the BCA Stadium while having mild fever.
Harmanpreet, who walked in with India in trouble at 19/2, struck 15 boundaries in her 121-ball knock and shared century stands with Pratika Rawal (61) and Deepti Sharma (106 not out) to help India post 328/6 and seal the three-match series 2-0.
“As I said, I just want to enjoy my batting… That’s what I did, and that’s what I want to keep doing. I actually had a mild fever last night. That’s why I was struggling when we came back to the field, and I just wanted to take some rest. And I think the painkillers, everything, are helping me, and hopefully I’ll come back stronger,” said Harmanpreet in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Asked about her approach after the early wickets and whether she had consciously looked to score more on the off side, Harmanpreet said she and Pratika had agreed on a simple game plan of respecting good deliveries and punishing anything loose.
“Well, today we were playing an ODI format, and in ODI format, you have to act differently and that’s what Pratika and I both decided that we have to respect if they’re bowling in the right areas…and at the same time, if we’re getting any loose ball, we have to punish that, and I think it was a very simple and clear message we gave each other, and then just reacting,” she said.
Harmanpreet, who is no longer leading the side, also spoke about coming to terms with the emotions of the past few weeks and preparing for a new phase in her career. “Well, I’m somebody who always likes to live life close to reality, and this is the reality now, and I just want to accept it in whatever way it is.
“At the same time, cricket is something which has always given me happiness, and batting is something which I’ve been enjoying throughout my career. And today, and whenever I’m going to step in, I just want to enjoy my batting,” she said.
Asked if her form with the bat made her miss the captaincy any less, Harmanpreet said such thoughts never crossed her mind at the crease. “When you’re batting, you don’t think these kinds of things.
“When you’re batting, you’re batting as a batter, and you want to take responsibility for the team. So I’m somebody who likes to take responsibility and bat according to the situation, and no matter whatever the situation is, I just want to enjoy myself,” she said.
Left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma, who claimed her maiden four-wicket haul in international cricket with figures of 4-39, said she had used her time away from the team to work on several aspects of her bowling.
“I am feeling very good, it is a great feeling. I had prepared mentally, and what I could develop. The gap that I got (from the team), I worked on a lot of things. Speed, variations, reading what the batter is doing and being aware about the match situation – those are things I worked on. I was just trying to enjoy myself, and I wanted to just stick to my plans.”
Asked whether she had made any changes to her action, Vaishnavi said there had only been a minor tweak. “I have not changed a lot, but maybe I am holding the ball a little more when releasing,” she said. Quizzed to pick her favourite of the four wickets, Vaishnavi smiled before replying, “All four. The fourth wicket where I hit the top of off.”
–IANS
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