After India defeated Sri Lanka to win Tri-Nation ODI series, captain Harmanpreet Kaur expressed concern about the team’s pacers getting injured frequently. She added that the support staff are looking to address the issue before the ODI World Cup.
“Proud of the entire team, especially the batters, we wanted to play good cricket, were looking to bat first if we win the toss and pretty happy with how we played,” Harmanpreet said at the presentation ceremony.
“We can never stop improving, lots of areas where we can keep doing better, be it batting, bowling or fielding. Our pacers keep getting injured, that’s something we need to keep care of, the coaches are working on it, she added.
She also lauded the batters effort in the series as well as player of the series Sneh Rana’s contributions.
“The way the other batters apart from Smriti and me, the way they batted was a big positive. The way Sneh Rana bowled was also a big positive. There are a lot of positives to talk about, but just want the enjoy the moment right now,” she said.
“Enjoyed the conditions here in Sri Lanka, we did struggle to get accustomed to the heat, but we then got used to it and nice to win this trophy,” the 36-year-old added.
In the match on Sunday, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana scored a sublime 11th ODI century, while pacer Amanjot Kaur and spinner Rana shared seven wickets among them as India defeated Sri Lanka by 97 runs.
Mandhana’s majestic 116 off 101 balls, laced with 15 fours and two sixes, and vital contributions from India’s top and middle-order batters, especially Harleen Deol (47), Harmanpreet Kaur (41) and Jemimah Rodrigues (44), helped India post an imposing 342/7 in 50 overs.
In reply, Sri Lanka were dismissed for 245 runs in 48.2 overs with Amanjot returning figures of 3 for 54, while Rana took four wickets for 38 runs.
For Sri Lanka, captain Chamari Athapaththu (51) and Nilakshika Silva (48) were the highest run-getters. Both were dismissed by Rana.