Perth, March 8 India head coach Amol Muzumdar praised his team's resilience despite a crushing defeat to Australia Women in the pink-ball Test, saying the players showed commendable determination in difficult conditions here.
India lost the one-off Test by 10 wickets inside three days, with only Jemimah Rodrigues and Pratika Rawal scoring fifties, while other key players like Smriti Mandhana and captain Harmanpreet Kaur struggled in bowler-friendly conditions at the WACA.
"It was a bit disappointing with the result, but I'm really proud of the fight our team showed over the last three days. The conditions were tough, but credit to Australia, they played brilliantly in this Test match," Muzumdar said at the post-match press conference.
The Mumbai veteran praised the efforts of the debutants, highlighting the determination shown by the younger players despite the team ending up on the losing side.
"Players like Pratika showed courage and determination, scoring a half-century here at the WACA in the second innings. Kranti bowled with all her might, and Kashvi and Sayali also picked up crucial wickets in the first innings. It was really heartening to see all the debutants," he said.
Muzumdar said the team's packed schedule leading up to the Test was challenging, though he refused to use it as an excuse for the result.
"The women's team had played five T20s against Sri Lanka, then there was the WPL, and immediately we flew out to Australia to play the T20 series before the multi-format leg. It was a tough schedule, but at the same time, there are no excuses," he said.
However, he suggested that an additional practice game before a Test would be beneficial for the side.
"If they can add another practice game, it would be great," he added.
Muzumdar also expressed the team's eagerness to play more Test cricket, saying the longer format remains vital for the growth of the women's game.
"We love playing this format. Everyone in the dressing room was looking forward to this pink-ball Test in Perth. The more Test matches we play, the better it is for the game," he said.
"I have always believed that a four-day or five-day Test match in the international calendar is always a healthy sign for cricket.”
Speaking about the challenges of the pink-ball Test, Muzumdar said the ball moved considerably under lights, but added that adapting to such conditions was part of the challenge.
"The pink ball presented a different challenge. The ball moved quite considerably under lights, but that's how it is. It was the same for both teams, and you have to adjust to the conditions," he said.
"A pink-ball Test brings a lot of excitement. Spectators can also come after work in the evening, so you have to consider those aspects."
Reflecting on the match situation, Muzumdar said the toss played a role, but admitted that Australia had clearly outplayed India.
"Obviously, Australia won the toss and put us in. We would have done the same thing had we won the toss because the ball was swinging and seaming around at the WACA.
"We probably could have played those first two sessions a little differently and put a better score on the board in the first innings," he said.
Muzumdar added that the message to the players before the third day was to keep fighting and try to make a contest of the match.
"The message was simple: fight it out. We thought even if we got around 125 in the second innings, we could still make a match out of it with the lights coming into play. But Australia were terrific in this game, and they outplayed us," he added.
