After the Indian top-order collapsed, all-rounders Pooja Vastrakar and Sneha Rana were aiming to rotate the strike till the 45th over before hitting big shots in their Women’s World Cup match against arch-rivals Pakistan here on Sunday.
India started their campaign on a winning note after beating Pakistan by 107 runs. Vastrakar (67) and Rana (53 not out) put on a 122-run partnership to bundle out India for 244 for 7. India then bowled out Pakistan for 137 in 43 overs.
“Actually, our top-order collapsed, so we decided to take charge and we decided to switch and rotate the strike. The pitch was slow, so our plan was to focus on singles and doubles initially,” Rana said at a post-match press conference.
“We lost early wickets. We were the last batting pair and after that we only had bowlers. So we planned to play basic cricket till the 45th over and then pick up the pace in the last five overs.”
Vastrakar also said that her injury was not serious, but she did not want to risk aggravating it.
“My leg is better, had normal calf cramps. Didn’t want to risk being aggressive by bowling.”
The Indian spinners, who were inconsistent in the series against New Zealand, bowled out Pakistan for 137.
Rana, who took two wickets, said, “The New Zealand series was played after a long gap due to Kovid-19, we were also in quarantine which obviously affected the players’ game.”
“We were getting used to the conditions. Slowly and gradually when we started playing we adapted ourselves according to the conditions. You can see the result of this hard work in today’s match.”
Asked if both of them can be promoted to the top order after today’s stellar performance, Rana said, “It is up to the team management to decide. However, our aim is to play in any position where our team needs us. If we get a chance to bat at the top of the order, obviously we will take advantage of it and play our part in the team’s victory.
The Indian team has got the services of a team psychologist for the first time on the tour and both Rana and Vastrakar said that they have benefited from the move.
“Yes, he (the psychologist) has been with us since the tour of England and I used to talk to him often. My tour of England was not good. He helped me gain positivity during the Australia tour. When we are angry with ourselves, some questions get stuck in our mind.
“We know the answer but we don’t know the tricks to deal with it. So, he helped me sort out these issues,” Vastrakar said.
Rana concurred with his partner’s comments.
“As Pooja said, she has been associated with us for a long time, however, we could not talk much online. So, when she is with us – obviously, all of us players face ups and downs in our careers.
“It is stressful when you are not able to perform for your team. But we got many positive vibes from our psychologist and he handled everything very well to help us overcome the stressful situation during our career. In my view, his presence is a positive thing for our team,” Rana said.
Opener Shafali Verma, who saw color in the series against New Zealand, continued her poor patch, getting dismissed for a duck against Pakistan, but Rana is confident the youngster will do well.
He said, ‘As far as Shafali is concerned, her previous record has been excellent. He performed whenever the team required it from him. We can understand that every player has to face ups and downs during his career.
“We have never allowed him to go into a shell, rather we are trying to keep him motivated. Our team psychologist is working with him. I hope she does well in the upcoming matches.”
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