Trisha Ghosal in Mullanpur
On the eve of the second ODI of the series between India and Australia, Beth Mooney addressed the press conference and opened up on the heat, India’s performance, Phoebe Litchfield’s batting and Australia’s practice against spin bowling.
Expecting India’s fightback
Mooney admitted that while Australia took the opening ODI in style, she is not underestimating India’s ability to bounce back.
“Any international game isn’t obviously easy,” Mooney said on the eve of the second ODI in Mullanpur. “The opening partnership put us to test. Phoebe Litchfield’s fielding helped us get the breakthrough. India will come back with better plans, so we’re expecting a challenge in the next game.”
Acclimatising and adapting
She also spoke of settling into conditions in India after the heat in the first match.
“First time in a while, it was a bit of a shock to the system,” she said. “We had a good day off, not too many players venturing out. A good sleep, and we’ll come back hoping for a good game tomorrow.”
Batting depth and spin preparation
The left-hand batter underlined Australia’s strong batting group and their preparation for spin.
“We have got excellent depth in our batting line,” noted Mooney. “We worked a lot during the pre-season against spin, and it’s helped. The left-right combination also worked in our favour.”
On her approach in the middle, Mooney added: “I just try and go out there to bat according to the conditions, help the batter out there and keep the momentum going. If you keep looking at the scoreboard, it can get big on you.”
Reading India’s spinners
Australia’s focused work against spin is a deliberate response to Indian conditions.
“We’ve spent a lot of time against spinners,” said Mooney. “Indians are playing a lot of spinners, and hence we’ve been practicing accordingly. It’s good to see that practice come to good work here.”
Praising Phoebe Litchfield
Mooney reserved special words for young teammate Litchfield, who stood out in the field and with her stroke-making.
“Phoebe’s an amazing player at such a young age,” remarked Mooney. “The clarity she has is impressive. Nice to see her play switch hits and reverse shots. I hope she continues this form into the World Cup as well.”
She also credited Litchfield’s fielding for changing the tone of the first game. “We were clinical in the field, led by Phoebe. Cutting the angles was important.”
Support staff’s role
The opener acknowledged the contribution of Australia’s support staff behind the scenes.
“The support staff do the heavy lifting,” she said. “They look after keeping us prepared in every situation. It’s great how we can communicate to them what we want done in practice sessions. It has been wonderful unravelling a lot of tactics with them.”
Conditions in Mullanpur
Describing the playing surface, Mooney said: “The wicket was flat, good for white-ball cricket. The outfield wasn’t as fast, so we had to run hard and we did that well.”
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