"The fielding didn't back the bowlers" - Mithali Raj on Team India's Women's World Cup 2022 loss to Australia
Mithali Raj has highlighted that the Indian fielders did not give adequate support to their bowlers in their Women's World Cup 2022 loss to Australia.
Indian Eves posted a fighting total of 277/7 after being asked to bat first by Aussie skipper Meg Lanning. However, the Indian bowlers could not get early breakthroughs as the opposition chased down the target with six wickets and three balls to spare.
In the post-match presentation, Mithali Raj was asked if they were short on runs or if the bowling and fielding department had let them down. She responded:
"When you lose, you always feel that you were 10-15 runs short. But I think the way the Australians started their innings, they were ahead of the required run rate and of course, the fielding didn't back the bowlers when we actually needed the fielders to stand up and support the bowlers. It could be one of those days where the bowling unit couldn't do well but then, they have been doing very well in the last 4-5 games for us."
Mithali Raj was further asked if she felt that Team India had bettered their previous performances of the tournament in the game against Australia, to which she replied:
"The batting is something we wanted to improve on, which we did, but the bowling did take a hit. The next two games, which are very important for us, we look to do very well in all the departments."
Mithali Raj also acknowledged that the next couple of matches are a must-win for Team India to qualify for the semi-finals.
clinch a 6-wicket victory 
The game went till the final over!
#TeamIndia fought hard right till the end but Australia 🇦🇺 clinch a 6-wicket victory
India will look to bounce back in the remaining two matches 💪
#CWC22 | #INDvAUS https://t.co/jL4CekzzSv
The Women in Blue face Bangladesh and South Africa in their remaining two league stage matches of the Women's World Cup 2022. A win in both matches should help them secure a spot in the knockouts, considering that they also have a decent net run rate.
"I think it has a lot to do with the girls playing the league in Australia" - Mithali Raj on close India-Australia matches
Mithali Raj credited the Indian girls' experience of playing in the Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) when asked about the reason behind India-Australia always playing close encounters. She said:
"I think it has a lot to do with the girls playing the league in Australia and obviously with that comes exposure when you play with the best players in the world and again a lot of experience."
Harmanpreet Kaur in WBBL 2021:
24*(19) & 1/20(3)
41(37) & 1/31(4)
35*(29) & 2/17(4)
3(4) & 1/35(4)
43(32) & 0/19(3)
73*(46) & 2/31(4)
13(17) & 1/32(3)
65(32) & 1/19(2)
12(9) & 3/22(4)
81*(55) & 1/27(4)
This should one of the all-time great performance in any league history.
The likes of Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh played in the latest edition of the WBBL. Jemimah Rodrigues and Radhya Yadav, who are not in the Indian World Cup squad, and Poonam Yadav, who is yet to get a game in the tournament, also plied their trade in the WBBL.