T20WC final defeat serves as motivation for hurt Radha Yadav

India were relentless for much of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, defeating all teams in the group stage, including tournament favourites and hosts Australia. But come the final, they succumbed to a heavy 85-run defeat as the Meg Lanning-led side hit back at a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground.

More than a month on from that day, the loss still hurts Radha Yadav. “Before the final, I was so focused on winning… that loss hurt. It’s not easy for me to forget that day. Personally, I don’t like losing and it takes me time to recover,” she said in an interview with Scroll.in.

“I still haven’t seen a single video of that final, not even of my bowling. I avoid even the photos though they keep popping up on Instagram, especially ones of the trophy. It still hurts me when I think about it, it’s impacted me deeply.”

Being the last game that India played before the lockdown due to the global pandemic took full effect across the world, it has been especially difficult to forget about the game. But Radha is using the memories as motivation.

“We are at home now so it plays up further in my mind. If I was playing or practicing at least, it would have been easier for me to get over it.” she said. “It’s not a good thing but it’s a motivation for me as well. It pushes me to work harder and I think of that final loss as I am training, to win it the next time.”

But not all memories from the Australia tour have been ruined by that one unfortunate performance and the Indian team can look back positively on the time spent there on the whole. “There are lots of positives from Australia, the biggest was the team atmosphere. Nobody is treated like a senior or a junior, everyone knows their responsibility both as individuals and as a team. Everyone is enjoying their own process, doing their role and supporting each other. This sort of a team atmosphere makes a big difference,” she said.