"Not even a blip" - Alyssa Healy unfazed by Australia's one-off Test loss to Team India
Australian women's team's captain Alyssa Healy brushed aside the notion that the side have hit the blip following the Test loss to India. Instead, the keeper-batter believes plenty of positives have come out of the standalone Test despite competing in unfamiliar conditions.
Australia lost the one-off Test to India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai by 8 wickets on Sunday (December 24). While the tourists showed plenty of fight from Day 2, their batting performance on the opening day - folding for 219 - meant they were playing catch-up in the remaining part of the match.
Speaking at the presser after Australia's eight-wicket loss, Healy requested fans to take into account the changes the team has gone through in recent times. Simultaneously, she suggested that everyone is comfortable with how they want to move forward.
As quoted by cricket.com.au, Healy said:
"It's not even a blip. It's a format where we're not overly familiar with, in conditions that we're not familiar with. I see more positives out of this and than any sort of negativity. I think there is always a lot of expectation and external noise about our team and how we're performing…
"They are so used to seeing us winning that I think at times they forget that we've actually seen quite a lot of change over the last 12 to 18 months that kind of goes unnoticed external to our group. Within our group, we're really comfortable with where we're at and the progression that we're on and where we want to get to moving forward."
Australia showed much better application with the bat in the second innings of the match, with Beth Mooney, Tahila McGrath, and Ellyse Perry making notable contributions with the bat. However, a lead of 75 didn't prove nearly enough for India.
"We're building towards that World Cup" - Alyssa Healy
With all teams playing only a few Tests every year, Healy said their focus is equally on winning World Cups in between series and is optimistic about continuing their dominance. The Queenslander added:
"Ultimately there's a big T20 World Cup in Bangladesh towards the end of next year and that is a real carrot for us. Those are the big trophies that we're wanting to win and every series in between now and then is important.
"But at the same time, we're building towards that World Cup and we want to make sure that we're playing our best cricket to win those big moments. Maybe you can ask me that same question at the end of the six white-ball games to see how we're going and we can answer that."
The Australian women's team are the current holders of both T20 and ODI World Cups.