India captain Harmanpreet Kaur praised stalwart Mithali Raj – who opened the innings and played a match winning knock of 56 off 47 balls – calling her a key component of the team going forward.
“Mithali is a key player and we have to use her in a smart way. Pakistan are a good bowling side, she’s (Mithali) very good against spin and that’s why we played her up there, it was a decision by the coach and me,” said Harmanpreet, in the post-match presentation.
Though India won the game quite easily in the end, they were let down by some poor fielding with three catches being dropped. Harmanpreet said that it is something the team has to work on.
“Disappointed with the way we fielded, in short format, it’s very important how we bowl or bat in the first six overs. The bowlers did well but we still have to improve. There is still a long way to go but I feel we are on the right track,” she added.
Meanwhile, Mithali Raj added that she was happy to perform whatever role the team required of her.
“I have always batted in the middle. I enjoy batting anywhere. Chasing puts a little pressure, but no matter what the challenge is, I always enjoy. I see there is no doubt that we will get to the semis, but as we go forward, we’ll be playing strong teams, so we will have to bring our A game in every match,” she added.
