Harmanpreet rues lack of match awareness by Indian batters

MUMBAI: Captain Harmanpreet Kaur rued the lack of "match awareness" by the Indian batters in the middle overs during the defeat to Australia in the second women's ODI here on Saturday.

The hosts looked in control of the proceedings in their pursuit of 259. However, the India batters lost steam in the middle overs and eventually fell short of victory by just three runs.

"Stopping them under 300 was a positive. We knew we could've chased it but didn't show enough awareness in the middle overs," Harmanpreet said at the post-match presentation.

India were also guilty of dropping as many as seven catches.

"Dropped catches are part of the game. Important to bounce back." With the win, Australia have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

"We bowled really well. We knew we had to keep looking for wickets. Lots of positives. I know they took the game away. I'm proud of the team, the way we played. We needed a bit more awareness late in the chase.

"Richa played really well, Jemi (Jemimah Rodrigues ) helped her in the middle." Winning captain Alyssa Healy felt that Australia's belief that they are in the game till the last ball helped them win the match.

"I need a defib, got very close in the end. Credit to our girls to find ways to win in a tough situation. We felt a bit short with our score. Took some momentum with Alana's hitting.

"We lost many wickets late but took wickets and defended it. We just hang in there, something about Australian teams. We fight till the last ball. We still believed we can win till the last ball and that's what made us successful." Like India, Australia too were sloppy in the field, dropping catches.

"Things didn't go our way. We dropped catches and let ourselves down there but our energy has been unbelievable." Healy, who has taken over as captain from the legendary Meg Lanning, highlighted that the Australian team has gone through a lot of changes in the past year and half but a good domestic set-up has helped the side produce quality players.

"People probably forget we've seen a lot of changes in the last 12-18 months, yet we keep producing players who are ready for international cricket.

"They're learning as they go out there but are still contributing. So, credit to our domestic system and the team culture," she added