Ramesh Powar, Indian women’s head coach, said he was surprised by the team’s batting performance in the first 20 overs against New Zealand. At the same time, Powar was confident his side would hit back.
Women’s CWC: Coach Ramesh Powar reflects on India’s performance against New Zealand (courtesy BCCI)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Coach Ramesh Powar wants India’s veteran players to raise their hand
- Mithali Raj’s India take on the West Indies in their next game on Saturday
- The presence of a psychologist helps us a lot, says Ramesh Powar
India Women’s head coach Ramesh Powar has urged the team’s veteran players to take on more responsibility from Saturday’s ICC Women’s World Cup match against the West Indies in Hamilton.
The Indian top-order failed to fire again as the Mithali Raj-led side hit just 50 runs from 20 overs while chasing 261 to suffer a 62-run loss to hosts New Zealand on Thursday.
“It was one of those days where things didn’t go the way we wanted. To be honest, I was also surprised at how we batted in the first 20 overs. If you look back at the last six games we’ve played against New Zealand, we executed our plans well. I think it’s the pressure of the World Cup, but I don’t want to give any excuses,” Ramesh Powar told reporters in the pre-match virtual press conference.
Powar explained how India’s batting ability has improved over the past three tours and the team has now surpassed 280 runs.
“Nothing else. It’s been a process for a while. If you’ve been watching us over the past six months or the last three tours, we’ve improved as a batting unit, we used to struggle to hit 220 and we’ve scored 270-280 . It’s up to the individuals now. As I always say, it’s the players who go out there and face that pressure and come out of it with their own skills and character,” added Power.
Powar believes the West Indies game will be a great opportunity for the Indian team to get back on track. “This is the right time to raise our hands and perform as we have been training for the past six months. We’ve been to England, Australia and got to New Zealand early, we had every practice facility we needed. So it’s time to stand up as a group and deliver,” he said.
He added that the team led by Mithali Raj knows very well how to do well against the variation of bowling attacks in the World Cup. “We’ve long had a specific process for how to target specific bowling attacks or bowlers, whether they’re off-spinners, pacers, left-arm spinners, or leg-spinners. Everyone in this batting unit knows how to respond to specific bowling attacks.”
Mithali Raj’s India take on the West Indies in their next game on Saturday.
