ICC Women’s World Cup: Veteran batter Punam Raut, who has lost her spot in the Indian women’s cricket team’s ODI setup in the past few months, has revealed the reason behind her omission from the playing XI in ODIs. She also said that selection is not in her control and she can only focus on her performance.
A technically solid top-order batter, Raut has been a consistent performer for India since her initiation into international cricket. She is known for tackling vicious spells from opponent bowlers with reasonable ease and providing solidity to the team.
Starting 2021 on a high, Raut played a few good innings in the home ODI series against South Africa in March. However, she played just one ODI when the Indians toured England before completely losing her spot in the starting 11 in Australia.
ICC Women’s World Cup: Punam Raut reveals reason behind losing place from Playing XI – Check out
The 32-year old feels every new coach has a different set of tactics and wants to try different things, and it could be one the reasons behind her omission from the playing XI in ODI cricket.
Raut said that since the coach was changed, she got only one opportunity to showcase her talent. She is feeling confident about her form and willing to prove herself once again whenever she gets the chance to do that.
“Every new coach has a different set of tactics and planning, so we need to work accordingly. It’s a team game and everybody needs an opportunity to showcase their skill. So they were trying different combinations and that’s okay. I always take things sportingly, love challenges and of course if I get an opportunity then only I can prove myself and I am waiting for that,” Raut, who last played an ODI in the England series in June, told IANS.
“It’s (selection) not under my control, team management decides who will feature in the playing XI. So, I can only focus on my performances, follow the process, feel confident about my ability and whenever I get an opportunity, I will give my 100 per cent for the team. That’s how I approach things in life,” she added.
ICC Women’s World Cup: Punam Raut reveals reason behind losing place from Playing XI – Check out
The top-order batter also mentioned that no matter who gets selected, when any individual does well for the team, every player feels good about that because the ultimate goal is the team’s win.
The 2022 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup will be held in New Zealand in March and April next year. And the Mumbai-born cricketer doesn’t only want to make a comeback before the big event but is also keen to play match-winning knocks for the team,
Talking about her preparation for the World Cup in New Zealand Raut said that she is trying to add a few things in her armoury.
“I want to make a strong comeback and play match-winning knocks for the team. I am working on facing short-of-length deliveries. Though, I didn’t get much opportunity to play many ODIs in Australia but during the Test match I got the basic idea of bouncy pitches in that part of the world,” she told IANS.
ICC Women’s World Cup: Punam Raut reveals reason behind losing place from Playing XI – Check out
“Trying to learn shots which will be productive on New Zealand pitches. I have also worked on my strike rate and it was visible during the South Africa series. It’s a gradual process and as we play more international games, we get experience and improve our skills, though it’s a different ball game altogether to practice in India and play in foreign conditions. So, the series against the White Ferns before the World Cup will be crucial,” she added.
Highlighting the areas that the Indian women’s team need to work on before the mega event, the right-handed batter said that the fast-bowling department will have to step up in the windy New Zealand conditions and the team shouldn’t get pressured in the knockout matches.
ICC Women’s World Cup: Punam Raut reveals reason behind losing place from Playing XI – Check out
“After playing the last World Cup, we now know about the areas that we need to address. Traditionally, batting and spin bowling have been our strengths but since the upcoming World Cup will be played on bouncy New Zealand pitches and windy conditions, we will rely more on our fast bowlers and they need to step up,” she explained.
“Last World Cup, we crumbled under pressure in the final and it shouldn’t happen again. We can’t think about that result before the start of such big games. We need to trust the process and prepare well to live in the present and focus on small things,” she added.
Raut has played 73 women ODIs for India, scoring 2299 runs and hitting one century and 15 half-centuries. In Test, she has scored 264 runs in four matches.
