It's part of the game sometimes: Harmanpreet Kaur refuses to read too much into loss

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Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur refused to read too much into her side's eight-wicket defeat in the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s World T20 2018 against England, terming the loss as a "part of the game".

India were dismissed for a total of just 112 following Kaur's decision to bat first after winning the toss. Openers Smriti Mandhana and Taniya Bhatia ensured a tidy opening partnership of 43 runs before the former departed for a well-made 34. 

Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur further stitched a 36-run partnership following their dismissals. However, it all fell apart following the former's dismissal.

Rodrigues's untimely dismissal triggered the start of a massive collapse after being poised for a defendable total at 88/2 after 12 overs.  

“Definitely it was not enough to tell you, but still I had enough faith that, if we could have bowled better, we could've won the game,” said Kaur.

“But it's part of the game sometimes. I think if we had 140-150 then definitely we would have won the game,” added Kaur. 

The 29-year-old cricketer also attempted to play down the controversy surrounding her decision to bench veteran batswoman Mithali Raj in a crucial clash. 

“We did really well against Australia, and that is the reason we just wanted to go with the same combination,” explained the skipper.

“She (Raj) opens. We need someone after Smriti (Mandhana) and me who can bat for us. Sometimes you click, sometimes it doesn't click,” she further added. 

Kaur further elaborated on the positives of the tournament, which she would like to take away with her into future contests. 

“I think the way we play– the aggressive cricket (was a positive). I think earlier we were very different, a defensive team, and now we are attacking. These are things we would like to take away,” concluded the cricketer.

England and Australia will face off in the finals of the ICC Women’s World T20 2018 on Sunday.