NEW DELHI: Captain Smriti Mandhana expressed disappointment with India's fielding performance and said they should have restricted Ireland to under 180 runs in the first ODI in Rajkot on Friday.
Although the visitors reduced Ireland to 56/4 in the 14th over, they managed to score 238 for seven with the captain Gabby Lewis (92) and Leah Paul (59) took advantage of three lost catches and several missed throws.
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Although India reached the target easily, Mandhana expressed concerns about the fielding standards.
“We have to get better at fielding. We should have limited them to 180, that's what we'll aim for in the future. We have to go out and execute our plans, that will be important,” she explained in the post. Game presentation.
The captain praised the bowlers for their performance on a batting-friendly surface. “To bowl on those wickets with nothing in them, the bowlers did a really good job… The way they executed the slower balls and rebounds. Every game here we have to execute them.”
Mandhana earlier contributed a quick 41 off 29 balls Pratika Rawal showed composure with her 89 from 96 deliveries.
“I’m really happy for our batters. Tejal did well. It was a perfect day for us. Games are won by the things we do behind the scenes. We have to stick to our routine and do everything right,” Mandhana added.
Pratika, who debuted in the previous series against West Indies, approached her innings without focusing on personal milestones.
“I don't think about the results, I don't think about the big numbers, I just take it one game at a time. Whenever the ball is in my slot, I try to reach boundaries. Otherwise, I just try to push him to the ground,” she explained.
The psychology student praised her academic background for her calm approach. “Being a psychology student also helps you stay calm. We just tried to keep it simple, we had a good start,” she said about her partnership with Smriti.
Tejal Hasanbis marked her return with an unbeaten 53 to secure the win. “I feel great, I'm happy that I contributed to the team's victory, that's the most important thing, that (the win) means more than the fifty. My game plan was simple, I love hunting. I played depending on the situation. I rotated the shot at first” and shot boundaries when the ball was in the slot.
