Made some errors as a bowling unit: Radha Yadav on 1st T20I loss

Chennai: India spinner Radha Yadav admitted that the bowling unit made some errors during their 12-run loss to South Africa in the opening women’s T20I here, adding that the pacers should have relied more on yorkers.

Indian bowlers were at the receiving end of some formidable batting by Tazmin Brits (81) and Marizanne Kapp (57), who helped South Africa set an imposing 190-run target for the hosts.

“It was important to know which length and pace to bowl at on this wicket. We did make some errors as a bowling unit; maybe gave away 10-15 extra runs,” said Radha during the post-match media interaction on Friday.

The South Africans used the sweep shot effectively with the pitch offering low bounce.

“We needed to hit them (at yorker length) since the ball was skidding,” she added.

Asked about the animated discussion that happened on the field when the Proteas were batting, Radha said that it was about setting up an attacking field.

“We were discussing about making them play where the fielders were stationed and also look to attack and take wickets. But, they did bat well.

“We need to back our plans and quickly judge how the wicket is playing out. It will make things a lot easier for us.”

India will play the second T20I here on Sunday and they will have to improve their catching skills to level the three-match series.

India dropped three catches, which cost them dear on Friday but Radha said it was just a bad day in office.

“I think it was just a bad day. All are brilliant fielders in our group, and everyone has been putting in hard work and training. We’ll look to bounce back,” she said.

We need these wins: Tazmin Brits

South African star batter Tazmin Brits was thrilled to have drawn first blood in the WT20Is after the massive Test loss and feels that winning the series will give them confidence for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.

“We need these wins and the confidence in our locker room. With this confidence, we cannot just reach the semis but actually win the World Cup. Winning this game was good, but winning the next two would be even better,” she said.

She admitted that it was hard for her to play Pooja Vastrakar, India’s most economical bowler in the match.

She also lauded the excellent communication with her skipper Laura Wolvaardt and Kapp while batting.

“She (Pooja) is a great bowler. But the other spinners made it easy. Also, good communication from the other end helped.

“It’s difficult to see what you are doing wrong due to your head position. So, it was nice to get that information and advice from the other end,” she said.

South Africa’s batting has been in focus, having managed a 300-plus score during the second ODI and also scoring heavily in the second innings of the one-off Test, which they lost by 10 wickets.

She credited batting coach Baakier Abrahams for the improvement.

“You need to be fearless against all T20I teams. But, to use that in the actual game is always difficult. It’s nice to have a batting coach who’s helping in not just swinging but also to know your game better,” she said.