Durban, April 19 (IANS) India opener Shafali Verma expressed regret over a mistimed shot that ended her stay at the crease at 57, but insisted that the team remains united and vowed the visitors will ‘come back harder’ after suffering an eight-wicket defeat to South Africa in second T20I.

Despite scoring a fluent 57, Shafali’s dismissal saw India lose their way and were eventually bowled out for a below-par 147, which South Africa chased it down with eight wickets to spare.

“In the beginning, I got a very good start. Then I was just thinking to go for shots down the ground, take one run at a time, and then whenever I will get a loose ball, I will go for that. I just saw the scorecard and thought I will get the ball over cover, but that was a mistimed shot and then I got out. I would have done more, maybe if I stayed till 18th over. I should have just stayed calm,” Shafali said in the post-match press conference.

Trailing 0-2 in the five-match series, Shafali stated that the squad’s strength lies in their collective resolve to make a comeback. “Well, of course, nothing much. We all know our strength. We will just come back hard and we will just stand shoulder to shoulder and we will practice more and practice hard. We have two days break and we will get back together and we will do well and we will come back harder,” she added.

The match also marked a personal milestone for Shafali, who became the youngest Indian cricketer to reach the 100-game mark in T20Is. While acknowledging her achievement, she credited the Proteas for their clinical performance

“Playing 100 games for India is a very proud feeling for myself. Talking about their team, they batted really well and they have done very well in all three formats. So, I will say we will come back hard and we will give our best for the third game.”

Addressing the team’s recent struggles with fielding, including dropped catches and misfields that allowed South Africa to cruise in the chase, Shafali defended the team’s preparation.

“Well, it’s not a technical issue. We have really done hard work in the fielding and fitness. We are giving our 100 percent and in our hand, it’s just giving 100 percent and we are doing that. Hopefully, we will come back hard and we will not do that mistake again,” she concluded.

–IANS

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