Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 14 (ANI): Right-handed batter Punam Raut has a career ODI strike rate of 58.36, but of late, her strokeplay has ensured that she scores runs at a brisk pace to help the Indian team post a competitive total in the 50-over format.
Speaking after the conclusion of the fourth ODI against South Africa which India lost by seven wickets on Sunday, Raut revealed how she has managed to increase her strike rate in ODIs.
Raut had played an unbeaten knock of 104 but unfortunately, her side ended up on the wrong side of the result, giving Proteas an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
“I have worked on this strike rate to increase since the time of lockdown. I have worked on it, and I have tried to address all things that I can. I have worked on my backfoot shots and also rotating the strike. That’s what has helped me a lot,” said Raut while replying to an ANI query during a virtual press conference.
“The Covid-19 induced lockdown helped me to work on my game. I worked with my coach in Mumbai. It was about getting used to things by batting a lot. I worked on the technical flaws in my game. Runs are coming now and it is due to the work I put in during lockdown,” she added.
When asked whether 270 is no longer a good enough score in ODI cricket, Raut said: “I think the runs (266) we scored, that was a challenging total for any side. Bowling side, we have a spin attack, and our bowling attack is good. We had confidence in our attack. 270 is not a small total, we can work on this, if we get off to a more good start, we need more partnerships.”
“We need to be more disciplined in the bowling scheme of things. South Africa has set a good example, so we need to work on our fielding. We are playing after a long time, we are working on the right combination. We will learn from this. The wicket got better in the second innings, in the first innings, first 20-25 overs are challenging for the batters,” she added.
Further elaborating on her point, Raut said: “We need to work on our bowling, we need to work on one side of the wicket. We have to bowl as per the field setting. Youngsters are there in the team, we need to give them time. If we give players the desired time, they will perform.”
India and South Africa will now take on each other in the fifth and final ODI at the same venue on Wednesday. (ANI)
