Guwahati, Oct 1 India all-rounder Amanjot Kaur gave some confident and hilarious replies to the reporters in the press conference after the Women in Blue beat Sri Lanka in their ODI World Cup campaign opener.
Kaur had an excellent outing on the field, contributing equally and brilliantly with both bat and ball. She was the top scorer for the side as they set a winning target of 270 runs.
After Sri Lanka’s Inoka Ranaweera picked up three key wickets inside five deliveries to add pressure on the opposition batters, Amanjot and Deepti formed a formidable 100+ run partnership to end the innings on a high.
Asked about the talks in the dugout when the team got into trouble, Amanjot tackled the question brilliantly and responded, “You can’t say India was in trouble, I was yet to bat! One must not jump to conclusions quickly. The 50-over format is a long game, so there are chances of the first 10 overs not going in our favour, but the next 10 do. We’re taking it one game at a time. We did well on Day 1 and won, and we’ve to do well the next 8 days and hopefully we do.”
She emphasised that winning the match was more important than her individual performances, saying, “I’m not focused on my individual performance. Whether I make 10 runs or 20, ultimately India must win. That’s what we play for. We play so that the team wins. My cramps will last a day, I’ll be fine, but India winning the match is more important.”
Talking about how she approached the game while going in to bat when India had lost wickets in quick succession, Amanjot dubbed the sport ‘unpredictable’, saying that while she’s now being questioned about hitting the balls early in her innings, the media would have questioned her had she taken the game slow.
“Cricket is very unpredictable. Had I taken it slow and steady, you’d have blamed me for wasting so many balls without scoring. That’s how cricket is. Rather than taking it slow and getting dismissed, at least I score something and contribute to the tally. At least the balls won’t be wasted for the batter who comes next.
“Ultimately, you need scores on the scoreboard to defend. We can’t go for dot balls when we’re six wickets down. I was sure that Deepti and I would form a good partnership. I had to hold my wicket. We knew that the longer we played, we’d be able to get the team to a better total, and that’s what we did.”
Amanjot further stated that the time she spent in rehab helped her shape her mindset and approach the game better, adding that her comeback to India’s World Cup squad was only possible because of the break.
“There’s a saying, a wounded lion takes a step back to take a long leap. You guys will make me famous for my one-liners (laughs). So yeah, that’s what happened. I wasn’t injured as such, but I realised that my body needs rest, so I come off fresh for the World Cup. I discussed with the coaches, and we did some scans. I told them that I didn’t feel like I was bowling well because I did not want to give 80-90% to the team. It’s either giving my 100% or nothing.
“I didn’t want to hang in the middle. So, I told my coaches that if they were considering my selection for the World Cup, then my body needed rest, because I didn’t want to be fatigued heading into the tournament. I’m only valuable for my team if I contribute altogether, score runs, bowl well, and save runs while fielding like a proper all-rounder. Or else anyone could have taken my place.
The star all-rounder entered the crease at a time when pressure had been looming on India. Speaking on how she handled it and the nerves she felt before playing the game, the 25-year-old stated,
“Nerves are always there. Witnessing such a large crowd in the highly anticipated first match of the World Cup. But having played so much, you get to know that having played the first six balls dot, the seventh ball shouldn’t be hit.
“Had I been the Aman I was before rehab, I would have. But now I know I don’t have to do that. My rehab made me grateful; it taught me patience.”
— IANS
(Auto generated news from IANS Feed. This has not been edited by enewstime desk)
