Veda: ‘We don’t blame each other for defeat’

Veda Krishnamurthy admits India’s narrow defeat in the World Cup final was hard to swallow, but believes there is no cause for regret.

Veda Krishnamurthy feels the World Cup success is a rebirth for women’s cricket.

India may have lost the ICC Women's World Cup final agonisingly, especially after having held the upper hand for much of the final. But Veda Krishnamurthy believes that there is no cause for regret. The 24-year-old spoke to Sportstar shortly after her arrival here on Friday.

Excerpts:

Q: Can you sum up the whole experience?

Veda: It's hard that we lost. It's very difficult to come to terms with it. But at the end of the day, we're really happy and proud that we reached the final.

Are you satisfied with your personal performance?

I wouldn't say I am. I didn't start [the tournament] the way I wanted to but now, when I sit down and think of it, I feel I did my bit; whatever role I was given. I contributed to the team reaching the final.

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Would you have done anything differently during that final chase?

No. I wouldn't regret what I've done. If you start picking mistakes, you will find a lot and that's when you start playing the blame game. My team is one where we don't blame each other for defeat. In spite of losing such a big game, none of us – even casually – blamed anyone else. To be that supportive [of each other] really shows the character of the team.

What was it like to share the dressing room with Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami?

It is a great learning experience. I feel privileged and lucky. Mithali and I play for the same domestic side as well. So I get to see how she prepares herself for a tournament, be it domestic or international. And Jhulan, we play a lot of pranks on her. But in spite of that, despite being a legend, she is such a sport. She just behaves like us when she's around. The two of them make us youngsters very comfortable in the dressing room. We can be ourselves.

What's the way forward for women’s cricket?

I genuinely feel that this is a rebirth for women's cricket. It's going to go up. The way we've been received, the way people have accepted us and are expecting things of us, it will just get better and better. I'm sure that now a lot of youngsters would want to take up cricket as a career. Even the parents would feel there is something in women's cricket so they can let their kids chase their dreams.