My role was to stay and keep rotating the bat: India captain Harmanpreet Kaur

She led the innings with a fine fifty and captain Harmanpreet Kaur said her focus was on “rotating the bat” as India recovered from a tricky position to post a match-winning 201 for five against UAE in the Women’s Asia Cup here on Sunday.

India were in trouble after being reduced to 52 for 3 but Kaur (66 from 47 balls) stitched two crucial partnerships, adding 54 runs from 39 balls with Jemimah Rodrigues (14) and 75 from 45 balls with Richa Ghosh (64 not out) to put India in a dominant position.

In response, the UAE could only manage 123 for 7.

“It’s a great feeling. When Jemi and I were batting, we talked about running hard instead of just playing risky shots. Our focus was on getting 7-8 runs per over,” Kaur said after the match.

“When Richa came, I just told her to keep watching the ball and watch how the wicket was playing. She batted beautifully. My role was just to stay on the field and keep rotating the strike. When loose balls come, I convert them for the boundary.”

Kaur played the anchor role perfectly, but it was Ghosh’s 29-ball knock that helped India score their first total of 200-plus in T20 cricket.

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“Credit to Richa. Thanks to her we achieved the target… today we lost wickets early too but we kept ourselves ready.”

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Richa Ghosh, who was voted player of the match for her unbeaten score of 64 in 29 balls, praised Kaur for sending her in the middle and said she had simply bet on herself to make the most of the opportunity.

“When I play with Harry (Harmanpreet) Di, she tells me how the ball is coming and how to play the shots. Whenever I get a chance, I want to support myself,” she said.

Richa Ghosh, who was voted player of the match for her unbeaten score of 64 in 29 balls, praised Kaur for sending her in the middle and said she had simply bet on herself to make the most of the opportunity.

“When I play with Harry (Harmanpreet) Di, she tells me how the ball is coming and how to play the shots. Whenever I get a chance, I want to support myself,” she said.