One-off Test: Top Order Took Pressure Off, Playing At Lord’s Always Special, Says Harmanpreet

One-off Test: Top order took pressure off, playing at Lord’s always special, says Harmanpreet (Image Source: IANS)

T20 World Cup: India captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Monday hailed her top-order batters for absorbing the pressure early on and described playing at the iconic Lord’s cricket ground as an inherently special experience, following her team's historic 270-run triumph over England in the historic one-off women's Test.

India were dominant from the outset – making 280 in their first innings, as Smriti Mandhana top-scored with 83, before dismissing England for 170, thanks to Kranti Gaud’s five-for. In the second innings, thanks to Yastika Bhatia’s 113, along with Smriti and Richa Ghosh hitting fifties, India declared at 341/7, before Sneh Rana took a four-for as England were bowled out for 186.

"God is a better writer. He's written it very well. Yes, definitely. I think our openers have been our biggest strength. The way they batted in the first half, I think that was something very special to watch.

“They're the ones who always take the responsibility and take all the pressure out from us. In this Test match also, the way they batted was outstanding to watch," Kaur said after the match ended.

She also said that the victory at the 'Home of Cricket' provided the perfect conclusion to a challenging tour of England, where they lost the T20I series 2-1 and failed to enter the semi-finals of the Women’s T20 World Cup.

"Yes, definitely. Playing at Lord's is always special. I really want to thank the people who thought about bringing one Test match here, and hopefully in future we'll get many more. These kinds of matches bring a lot of happiness and excitement. Hopefully we'll keep getting more Test matches and keep performing the way we are doing," she added.

Despite playing sporadic red-ball cricket, India's formidable run in the format continued. Kaur lauded the tactical guidance provided by head coach Amol Muzumdar and the support staff in keeping the squad unified after recent white-ball setbacks.

"I think it's the effort the entire team is putting in, and especially our support staff. Many of them have played a lot of Test cricket. They know how Test cricket moves, and they're the ones giving us feedback each and every moment.

“Because of them we were able to perform. I really want to thank Amol sir and the entire team for the way they supported us during this Test match and the previous one we played. I think the last couple of series have not been in our favour.

“But I know that's the time when things can go here and there. The way our support staff kept us together, that is something to watch. Again, I want to give credit to Amol sir and the entire support staff. They kept us together.

“I know the summer in England didn't go the way we wanted, but we came back strongly in the Test match. I'm really happy that we're taking some good memories back home now," she elaborated.

“But I know that's the time when things can go here and there. The way our support staff kept us together, that is something to watch. Again, I want to give credit to Amol sir and the entire support staff. They kept us together.

“The way our entire team fielded in this Test match was something very special to watch because fielding is an area we've worked very hard on as a group. When you see the results, you feel really happy. Our fielding coach has been working so hard for so many years now, so I'm really happy with the way the entire team fielded, especially Richa's performance. Everybody came together and did the job for the team," she concluded.

Article Source: IANS