Fielding was not up to the mark: Harmanpreet Kaur after India lose 6 wickets to Australia | Cricket News

India women’s team captain Harmanpreet Kaur said that the team’s fielding efforts were not up to the mark as the hosts lost to Australia 6 wickets in the first ODI on Thursday
“I think we managed a good score, but I think the fielding was not up to the mark. It is something that didn’t really work well for us. After a while, dew was there but the bowlers were trying their best to attack the stumps, but fielding was something I feel played a really big role today. Pooja got us back into the game with her batting and we need to keep doing the right things. Just need to back ourselves and play that aggressive brand of cricket,” Kaur said after the loss which put India 0-1 down in the 3-match ODI series.
India put up 282/8 after batting first, which was their highest-ever ODI score against the Aussies. However, a 148-run partnership between opener Phoebe Litchfield (78) and Ellyse Perry (75) helped the visitors chase down the target with about 3 overs to spare.
The Indians were pretty sloppy in the field and it allowed Phoebe, Ellyse, Tahlia McGrath (68 off 55 balls) and Beth Mooney (42) to score runs at will to overhaul the target with ease.
“Batting approach was sensational, that was the blueprint we want to put out there. Our batters play down the ground really well, helps when the ball is skidding on a little bit. Girls bounced back and showed how we wanted to play,” said Australia skipper Alyssa Healey.
“We’ve been pushed India, so we got to raise the bar. I thought 280 was around, had a good effort in the field and bowled well for a large part. With the lights coming on and ball coming on, the bowlers had a low margin for error with the field restrictions. We started positively and capitalised. We never let the grip loose which was pleasing. Our energy in the field matched with the bowling,” she added.