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New Delhi: Opener Abhishek Sharma has backed the Indian Women's Cricket team to script history in the ODI World Cup final against South Africa on Sunday, November 2. He said that the Women in Blue deserve the title after their remarkable victory against Australia in the semi-final.
Speaking after India's defeat in the second T20I against Australia in Melbourne on Friday, Abhishek said that the men's team was watching the match on Thursday and followed every moment of the dramatic knockout in Navi Mumbai.
Abhishek said that they were following all the matches, and regarding the semi-final, he doesn't think India have ever won a game like this before.
"The maturity and teamwork on display were outstanding - we are really proud of them," Abhishek told reporters at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The opener further added that he thinks the Women in Blue deserve the trophy, especially after their stunning performance in the semi-final. Abhishek also said that Harmanpreet and Co. truly deserve the trophy, and he's confident they will win it.
Abhishek revealed that the men's team had drawn inspiration from the women's brilliant comeback against the former defending champions.
"All of us were watching – each of us was glued to the screen in one place or another. We knew the total of 338 was a big one. But when Jemimah and Harmanpreet were batting, it never looked like India were under pressure. Watching women's cricket like that is genuinely motivating," he said.
Josh Hazlewood played a key role in Australia's 4-wicket win against India, taking three wickets in four overs. But the fast bowler will miss the rest of the T20I matches to prepare for the Ashes series. When Abhishek got to know about Hazlewood missing the rest of the series, he looked genuinely surprised and wasn't aware of the update.
He praised the pacer and said that the way he bowled in the second T20I really surprised him. "I haven’t seen this kind of bowling in T20s before. Even when I was at the other end, I could see how well he was bowling. It felt like he knew exactly what he wanted to do,".
India will look to level the series in the third T20I at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Sunday, November 2.
