As they get ready to take on defending champions and strong contenders Australia in their next match as the tournament approaches the midway stage, the Indian team will, according to all-rounder Sneh Rana, not lose sleep over that one defeat and continue to be positive, stick to its plans and try to put up an improved performance in the upcoming matches.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
India suffered a three-wicket defeat to South Africa at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium here in Visakhapatnam on Friday, failing to press home the advantage after reducing the Proteas to 142\/6 in their chase of a 252-run target. Chloe Tryon (49) and Nadine de Klerk (84*) guided South Africa to victory with de Klerk hammering the Indian bowlers in the last three overs, changing the course of the match with two sixes and a four in one over off Kranti Gaud and two sixes in three balls on Sneh Rana's bowling.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"We agree that our bowling in the last three overs against South Africa was not what we would have liked to bowl. But that defeat is not something that has caused panic in the team. Such things happen; some days, things don't go your way. But we are not worried. There is a lot to play for,\" said Sneh in the pre-match press conference on Saturday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"We will remain positive and play positive cricket. There are areas in which we need to improve, and we will practice well and continue to improve ourselves. There were many positives from our last match - in fielding, in bowling, and in handling pressure. So we will stick to our game plan and try and execute it better,\" said the off-spinner from Dehradun.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 31-year-old Sneh also played down the Indian batters' perceived shortcomings against left-arm spin bowling, which was again exposed by South Africa's Nonkululeko Mlaba (2-46) and Chloe Tryon (3-32). India have lost 12 wickets to left-arm spinners in three matches in the World Cup and tops the list of teams to have suffered the most against this variety of bowling in ODIs since 2023.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a big concern. Our batters have handled such situations well in the past, and ups and downs are part and parcel of the game. As you know, we have some of the best batters in the world on our side, and I\u2019m confident they\u2019ll bounce back strongly,\u201d she added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rana said her team will take a lot of confidence from India's victory over Australia in the recent bilateral series. \"The confidence is really high. As I said, we\u2019re going in with a positive mindset. We\u2019ve been planning really well, and everyone is clear about their roles. There\u2019s a lot of clarity in the team, so yes, we\u2019re definitely positive.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"We have beaten them earlier also, and definitely the win in the series just before the World Cup will give us a lot of confidence.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"As you said, the World Cup is a completely different stage, and the pressure is unique. We\u2019ve studied Australia\u2019s style over the years \u2014 they\u2019re aggressive \u2014 but our plans are very clear. We\u2019ve had detailed discussions and made our strategies, and hopefully, we can make a positive start,\u201d Rana added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rana said their familiarity with the conditions in Visakhapatnam, having had a short camp at the ACA-VDCA Stadium before the World Cup, is also a positive for them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"As you said, the World Cup is a completely different stage, and the pressure is unique. We\u2019ve studied Australia\u2019s style over the years \u2014 they\u2019re aggressive \u2014 but our plans are very clear. We\u2019ve had detailed discussions and made our strategies, and hopefully, we can make a positive start,\u201d Rana added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"We\u2019ve played in such situations before, and we know how to tackle them. Definitely, one odd day things might not go according to plan, but I\u2019m very happy with our bowlers; they took the match to the last over and adapted well to the situation. Yes, in the last five overs, we could have performed better, but no worries, we\u2019re looking forward to the next game,\" she said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n