UP Warriorz mentor Lisa Sthalekar praised new skipper Deepti Sharma’s all-round effort despite the team’s six-run loss to Gujarat Giants on Sunday.
“Thought the way that Deepti batted was really well. She had a pretty good all-round game and actually showed the fight. Whilst wickets were falling, she knew her plan and stuck to it,” said Sthalekar after the game.
The former Australian skipper felt that her side was a good 30 to 40 runs short of a defendable target. “If we were to look at our batting innings, we probably left 30 to 40 runs out there. Losing wickets at the top and then also in the middle hurt us.”
The 144-run target was significantly lower than those recorded in the last two games. Sthalekar opined that the change in line by the bowling units has started to make a difference.
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“I’d say it maybe stayed a little bit lower. But what you’ve seen is that from game one to game three, bowlers have targeted the stumps a lot more, so the bowling has become better.
“If you would have a look at the first game, there were a lot of deliveries that were missing the stumps and went for boundaries. So, I think the bowlers are starting to fight back,” she said.
UP Warriorz got off to a great start, picking two wickets in as many overs. But Gujarat skipper Ash Gardner’s cracking half-century, her second one on the trot, took the match away from the Warriorz.
Sthalekar felt that Gardner’s new role as captain has helped improve her game. “Sometimes giving someone the position (of captaincy) means they focus on others more than themselves. So she’s now in a position where she’s got to be thinking about the rest of the team.
“Yes, she still has to perform as an individual player, and she’s done so exceptionally well. And she’s coming to, you know, a nice run of form in T20 cricket. I think the leadership has certainly helped to bring the best out of her so far in this edition of the WPL,” she said.
