Veda Krishnamurthy ready for India’s date with destiny

Veda Krishnamurthy says destiny is pointing to an India victory at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020. Conditions have suited Harmanpreet Kaur’s side, harnessing the momentum of a milestone opening-night victory over Australia to seal a maiden appearance in the Final.

Krishnamurthy knows the feeling of missing out having been part of previous World Cup squads, and after a washout against England put them through, she feels the stars have aligned this time. “It’s all about destiny, and I’m a big believer in destiny. I feel like this is the way it was meant to be,” said the batter.

“There is a joke going around that this World Cup is made in such a way that it’s helping us, starting from the wickets to everything else. Being in the Final is just reward for the way we played in the group stages. There was an advantage to having won all our games with the weather not in our hands.

“We said the first aim was to get to the Final and take it from there. We’ve crossed the first stage. We need to make sure we hold our nerves and we do what we need to do on the final day.” India’s recent rivalry with Australia has taken fascinating twists and turns, with Kaur’s outfit chasing down 173 in their recent tri-series and getting home by 17 runs in the tournament opener.

The event began with concerns around the form of India’s middle-order, with opening batter Smriti Mandhana acknowledging they needed protection from top-order stars. Krishnamurthy has recovered from a series of single-digit scores in the tri-series to impress, with Kaur labelling her 20 from 11 balls in a finishing role in a Bangladesh as a ‘turning point’.

Veda Krishnamurthy has clarity about her role in the team

The Karnataka product has felt the benefit of being backed by the team’s coaching staff and feels the clarity of her role is reflective of a balanced squad. “As an individual, the role given to me is very consistent in the last year,” added Krishnamurthy.

“They’ve put effort in the last year to keep me there and I’ve been supported by every individual, not just one or two. The entire team, with all the support staff have shown faith in me. I know coming into the World Cup I’d play a crucial role to finish the innings well, which I felt I was unable to do in the last World Cup in the West Indies.

“I was very motivated to do my role and I’ve been working on that. It’s not just me, all 15 players involved know what their role is. I’m happy we’re all putting in efforts and executing our role properly. Even if it’s a smallish contribution of saving a couple of runs, it’s all panned out really well.”