England’s ace spearhead Anya Shrubsole on Sunday backed her team to turn things around after succumbing to a tame 66-run loss in the first one-day international against India in Mumbai.
“We have the quality in the team to turn things around,” Shrubsole said. “We have shown resilience in the last 18 months – winning from losing positions and coming back in the series. [I] really believe we can go out there and put things right where we need to,” Shrubsole said on the eve of the second ODI.
India outclassed the world champions in the series opener on Friday. “We bowled and fielded really well,” said the Somerset-born player who has taken 69 wickets in 56 ODIs.
“We got to do a lot of the same things, for longer. We know the wickets, that it will be hard to score in the second innings. It’s just about making a few minor adjustments.”
England put the hosts to bat and restricted them to 202 but folded up for 136, losing their last seven wickets for just 25 runs. Shrubsole said she was not sure what the game plan will be if the team wins the toss again.
“No idea, it’s a tricky toss decision. It’s a 9 am start, there is dew and the ball swings around. But then on the other hand pitch helps the spinners later,” she said.
The England batsmen struggled against the Indian spin trio of Ekta Bisht, who finished with figures of 4 for 25. Shrubsole was sure a repeat challenge against the slow bowlers was in store.
“We had prepared really well for the [opening] game. Having reviewed the game, I think we did a lot of things right. We actually played 3/4th of the game really well. We know how the wicket is going to play, it’s going to be lots of spin again. It’s just about doing a few things better,” Shrubsole said.
“They [India] have got a really good spin attack. We had prepared for that back in England, have prepared for that out here as well. Nothing really changes. It’s about doing a few things right in the game. Playing them is obviously a challenge,” she added.
The pacer insisted that England will be looking to dismiss openers Jemimah Rodrigues and Smriti Mandhana cheaply.
“They have two really good opening batters, both are really good players and also right and left combination. We will look at getting their key wickets as early as possible and get into the middle order,” said Shrubsole.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!