'The girls definitely did themselves proud' - India Women's head coach WV Raman happy with his side's final finish

It was a heartbreaking moment when the Indian Women’s team lost the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final earlier this month. In front of a packed crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), India lost to Australia by 85 runs.

The result might not have entirely satisfied the fans but it was after all the best finish for the women’s team in the tournament history. It was the first time India had qualified for the final and the Head Coach WV Raman seemed quite positive about the second-place finish for his side.

Recently in an interview, WV Raman talked about how his team should be proud about the way they performed throughout the tournament and reached the finals.

“The girls performed as a unit as against what was being said, that they were dependent highly on one or two individuals. They fought well, they had a lot of challenges and they coped with the challenges well. All the games were hard-fought, we were up for it. The girls definitely did themselves proud,” Raman said during the interview.

India were grouped with strong opposition such as the hosts Australia and a strong New Zealand side. India went on to win all the group matches and reach the semi-final as the only team with four wins in the group stages. In the opening match of the tournament, India beat Australia by 17 runs in Sydney. But, the pressure of the final got the young Indian side led by Harmanpreet Kaur as they failed to replicate the similar performance.

WV Raman heaps praise on his side’s show in Australia

India’s semi-final clash against England in Sydney was called off due to rain. Many suspected that the wash-out didn’t allow the team to get switch on for the final. Speaking on this, Raman said, “I don’t want this to sound like an excuse, but what didn’t help us was that leading up to the final, we were inactive for a week. It’s not easy for a young side to switch on and switch off at will. It can be done by a very experienced side, maybe, just maybe.

After almost a week, wherein half the week was spent looking at the rains and then you had a couple of practice sessions, you go into the final. It’s not that easy for the mental edge to be there or be switched on from ball one, and that’s something we will learn from experience.”

Raman also pointed out the performance in Australia is the testament of the ability of the Indian women’s team. He feels that it was a good stepping stone for the team confidence and it will be beneficial for them in the future.

“If this side can replicate what they did in Australia, it definitely augurs well. It gives a lot of confidence, not only to the girls who played there but also to the other girls who will feel that if somebody before them can do it, when they get there, they can also do it, regardless of age”, Raman said.