Very proud of the girls, says Mithali Raj

Indian Women skipper Mithali Raj has heaped praise on her players for their tremendous display in the final game after they were outclassed by a slim margin by England, who won the game by 9 runs. Accepting the fact that India couldn’t hold on to the game of nerves in the end, Raj admired her side’s holistic performance stating that India remained a tough nut to crack for most opponents.

After a strong partnership by India’s in-form batsman Harmanpreet Kaur and Punam Raut took India to 138 for two, the faltering England fielding found some relief in Tammy Beaumont’s brilliance. Beaumont pulled off a smart effort in dismissing Kaur, who had been looking dangerous, at the square-leg. However, the determined Raut looked unstoppable as she along with Veda Krishnamurthy almost took the side to shore with just 28 runs needed from 44 balls and seven wickets in hand.

Making her ODI debut way back in 1999 against Ireland Women at Milton Keynes, Raj has played 186 games for India scoring over 6,000 runs. She has six centuries and 49 half centuries to her name with a good average of 52.  

England Women’s skipper Heather Knight praised India’s quality too. Speaking after the game, Knight said, “They were batting brilliantly, credit to them, they've had a great tournament."