"Bowlers took responsibility, put us in strong position": Harmanpreet after second T20I win

Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], December 23 (ANI): Following her side's win over Sri Lanka in the second T20I, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur expressed happiness with her team's all-round show and had special words of praise for Vaishnavi Sharma and Shafali Verma.
Standout performances from Shafali and Vaishnavi - the latter taking two wickets - helped India to a 2-0 series lead in a five-match series as they beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets with 49 balls remaining.

"I am really happy with the way we bowled today. That was the reason we wanted to bowl first. The bowlers took responsibility and put us in a really strong position early on. Later, Shafali and the other batters finished things off beautifully. Everyone in our bowling unit understands their role and is stepping up. We know what Sneh brings to this team, Deepti has been doing it for a while, but very happy with the way we bowled overall," Harmanpreet said in post-match presentation.
"We were all waiting for that (Vaishnavi's) maiden wicket. Even though in the last game there were a few missed chances, today she bowled a very crucial over and picked up two wickets," she added.
Harmanpreet also said that the team is working hard on their fielding and is happy with the improvement they have shown.
"Before coming here, we discussed setting certain standards for ourselves as a team, and everyone is committed to that. Whoever walks out to bat knows their role and is ready to take responsibility," she said.
Shafali, the 'Player of the Match' for her half-century, said that the ball was "holding a bit at the start".
"So I tried to play along the ground and take singles. The coach also told me how to go about in such conditions. They bowled well at the start. It was a good knock. I kept myself calm, tried to play along the ground and the ball was coming on nicely. I know I can score runs if I play the ball on the ground. Acceptance is everything, if you accept (your weaknesses) then only you become a better cricketer," she said.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu said that the team started off well in the powerplay but failed to capitalise on the momentum as they lost a couple of wickets and struggled in middle overs.
"India bowled according to their plans, and our batters tried to play their shots, but we kept hitting straight to the fielders. These are areas we definitely need to improve. If we are batting first against India, we need at least 150 or more. We have to improve the way we handle the middle overs, rotate strike better, and still look for boundaries regularly," she said.
"We need to hit more boundaries. As a bowling unit, we struggled a bit, especially with the dew. It was difficult to grip the ball as spinners and get any real turn. But as a team overall, we need to improve. On a wicket like this, you need 150-plus to have a chance. Once India get going, it is very hard to bowl at them. Hopefully, we learn quickly, make better decisions, and things go our way next time," she said.
Taking to the match, India won the toss and opted to bowl first. Knocks from Harshitha Samarawickrama (33 in 32 balls, with four boundaries) and skipper Chamari (31 in 24 balls, with three fours and two sixes) took SL to 128/9 in 20 overs. Shree Charani (2/23) and Vaishnavi Sharma (2/31) were the pick of the bowlers for India.
In the run-chase of 129, India lost Smriti Mandhana early, but Shafali (69* in 34 balls, with 11 fours and a six) and Jemimah Rodrigues (26 in 15 balls, with four boundaries and a six) played standout knocks as India chased down the total with seven wickets and 49 balls in hand. (ANI)