With a well-compiled 71 off 79 balls, Veda Krishnamurthy shaped India’s innings and set up the game in the favor of the hosts in the last ODI against West Indies. She was involved in two crucial stands that helped set the opposition a stiff target which the hosts defended to win the series 3-0.
While she partnered with Harmanpreet Kaur, she guided debutant Devika Vaidya as they built a stand to set the target. Speaking about her innings, she said, “When you bat at No 5 or 6, it is very tricky, especially when you are batting first. You don’t know what a good total will be. Since we had chased in the first two games, we knew that 150 would be chased down within 40 overs so, we needed something around 200 runs on the board. But that was not the initial target when we went in with.”
Elaborating on the partnerships after coming in to bat at 52 for three, she said, “Harman and I were trying to play out the situation get into the game. With Devika, I have seen her bat before and she is. She bats in the top-order for Maharashtra so I knew that she just has to stay with me and runs will keep coming.
Speaking about the situation when the debutant came in to bat at 103 for four, she said, “When Devika came into bat, for the first two overs I was actually planning what to do. But after the first inside out shot she played I felt, ‘okay, she is here to play.’. That way she gave me confidence because I was a little worried about where it was going to head. She played really well and positive cricket at that point and it boosted my confidence.
“We had a target of 180 when we were around 100 odd runs. As we progressed we changed the target around 42nd - 43rd over to 200. That is when we started getting more runs. Devika had settled in and I didn’t want to put pressure on her. I just wanted to give her confidence so that she stays with me because that partnership was crucial for us to set a target. She understood the situation well.”
After pulling off a thrilling win to sweep the ODI series, India will now take on the WI in a three-match T20 series under Harmanpreet. “Switching from ODI to T20 is easier than other way around. Most of the batters are in good touch and our bowlers always do well. And we have six new players coming in and they will bring in freshness to the side,” she observed.
Asked about playing under Harmanpreet, she said, “I have played under her in the Challenger trophy. We are good friends off the field so, feels really good. I want to congratulate her and wish her good luck for the T20 series because it is the first big series she will be captaining. I hope she comes out to bat and gets more hits and success.”
Discussing the difference in captaincy, she said, “Captaincy is very different. When it comes to Mithali, everybody looks up to her, there is a lot of respect as she is the senior most player. She has been a role model for almost everyone in the team. Harman she is very aggressive, very enthusiastic. Mithali is very calm.”
