India captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed pride in her team's resilience during the second T20I against England on December 9 in Mumbai, despite a four-wicket loss. England secured the series victory with one game still to be played.
Facing a challenging day after batting first, Indian batters faced difficulties against the in-form English bowlers. Except for Jemimah Rodrigues, who scored 30, and Smriti Mandhana, who contributed 10, no other batter managed to reach double digits.
Charlotte Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Bell, and Sarah Glenn each claimed two wickets, causing India to be dismissed for 80.
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In the end, the Indian bowlers added excitement to the game by taking quick wickets, with Deepti Sharma securing two wickets off back-to-back deliveries.
However, Heather Knight and Ecclestone guided their team to victory.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Harmanpreet said that an additional 30-40 runs could have significantly changed the outcome. The Indian captain expressed pride in her team for their determined effort until the end. Harmanpreet noted that some batters struggled to read the ball effectively.
However, she commended the bowlers for their response, which turned the game into a competitive contest in the end.
"Another 30-40 runs could have made a huge difference. Proud of my team, we fought till the last run which is good to see. We always want to play with a positive approach, but unfortunately, some of us didn't read the ball well and they also bowled really well and didn't allow us to score freely. After losing early wickets, we were thinking 120, but couldn't do it.
But still, our bowlers were ready to take up the challenge and bowled the way we wanted," said Harmanpreet.
India will play England once again on December 10 as they look to avoid a whitewash.
With the series already in England’s favour, the third T20I is scheduled to take place at the same venue on December 10. India seek a victory as they look to avoid a whitewash.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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