Veda Krishnamurthy was dismissed in the final after being caught out by England’s Natalie Sciver. (Source: Reuters)
India’s middle-order batter Veda Krishnamurthy has revealed that the disappointing loss at the hands of England in the final of the Women’s World Cup at Lord’s was a bitter pill to swallow and the shocking defeat kept her awake the entire night after the match. “I was awake the entire night after the loss as I could not a wink of sleep,” Veda said while speaking to the indianexpress.com and added, “I think I finally managed to close my eyes at 4 am but then got up an hour later and was awake the entire day. The whole scenario (whatever happened on the field) just kept repeating in my head.”
However, the 24-year-old added that experiences such as these teach important lessons in life. “As a team, this is where we have to learn from and it is a valuable lesson for a young team like ours. It is a learning process for all us and we can now evolve as better players. We cannot change what has happened but we can surely take the positives out of the entire tournament.,” she said.
The Karnataka girl, Veda, said the loss in the final was a heartbreaking one. “We were so close to the win but couldn’t pull it off and it was heartbreaking. We were very upset and there was a lot of crying in the dressing room. After the game we were to ourselves, nobody was in a hurry to leave and all we wanted to do was let the defeat sink in. This loss will always remain in our hearts and mind. However, we are all proud that we reached the finals because nobody expected us to make it till there. So that is a big thing.” India lost the final by nine runs.
In the final, Veda scored a quickfire 35 but was dismissed at a crucial stage of the match by Anya Shrubsole. It was her wicket that triggered the dramatic collapse for India. However, she has no regret about playing the lofted shot which saw her head back to the dressing room. “I was taking my chances from the time I went into bat. If you look at the innings, the shots I had played earlier had paid off but the one I got out on was a risk that I took again which did not come off. So I do not regret it. Anything could have happened. But I don’t want to sit and pinpoint at what went wrong. Collectively we tried our best but ended up 9 runs short.” she said. Reminding that it was a tense game, “I would just say that everybody was discussing that last 7 wickets fell for 28 runs but at the same time one must remember it is a very high-pressure game. So probably we crumbled under pressure at that point but as I said that none of us had played in such a situation before. So if we are in a similar situation again this experience has taught us what to do in such circumstances.”
India players stand dejected prior to receiving their runners-up medals. (Source: AP)
Looking towards the future Veda believes this team has the ingredients to go one one step better in the next World Cup. “This team in fours years time will be more mature. I am hoping that 70 percent of the team will be the same for next World Cup. By then we will be more mature and experienced enough to tackle situations and bring the cup home.”
Meanwhile, speaking on the response back home, Veda said that the success of her team has brought about a lot of positives. “The kind of response we are getting gives a lot of satisfaction since we have done our best to generate interest in women’s cricket. It is a nice feeling and from this beginning, everything starts.”
But for now Veda wants to head back home as her parents await her return after a long trip. “My parents are proud of my achievements but they are also anxious to see me. I have been speaking to them, but not in detail so I am looking forward to heading home and spend time with my loved ones,” she concluded.
