In the most recent T20 World Cup semi-final in Cape Town on Thursday, February 23, senior fast bowler Megan Schutt refuted Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s assertion that Australia had fallen behind at one point.
The Indians, who were attempting to score 173 runs, were cruising at one point thanks to Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet. Before the Australians clawed their way back into the game and never looked back, they put up 69 runs for the fourth wicket.
The Women in Blue captain said in a post-game interview that they had the champs up against the wall at one point during the game. Yet, Megan Schutt credited their composure as a factor in their victory in the tight semifinal, which appeared to favour India.
“They were cruising and we were under the pump,” she told reporters. “Collectively our last five overs were crucial. Getting a couple of wickets in there but also providing pressure on all aspects, whether it’s in the field, with the ball or even body language out there. Harman said our body language was down. I’ll call bullshit on that.”
“We’re just calm. We don’t panic, we don’t take it out on each other if there’s a misfield or a dropped catch. That’s where we stand out as a team. We’re a team first and we know getting angry about that isn’t going to do about that. So it was a collective effort.”
In the end, Australia defeated India by five runs to advance to the championship match, where they defeated South Africa by 19 runs on Sunday to retain their title.
“It was wrong of Harman to follow that after (reaction after being given out)” – Megan Schutt
Harmanpreet Kaur, who appeared to be on track to lead India to victory on the given day, was dismissed in an unusual way when her bat became caught in the ground. At that very moment, Australia clapped, winning the match.
The Indian captain was obviously upset over being dismissed, and on her way back to the dressing room, she let out her rage by tossing the bat.
Megan Schutt said that senior cricket’s action was improper and that it sets a bad precedent for the players to follow.
“Stay calm. It was wrong of Harman to follow that after (reaction after being given out),” she added. “It sets the wrong precedent for those coming after. I know she was calm after that and spoke to Deepti. But the damage was done already by then.”
“Being able to compose yourself in that situation. Of course, you’ve to go through lots to figure that out. We’ve had our own losses. Yes, we win a lot, but we’ve had our own clutch moments that we’ve lost and learned from that.”
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