Former Australia pacer Brett Lee on Monday said that it was difficult for him to watch India’s teenage sensation, Shafali Verma, in tears during the final of ICC T20 World Cup where India lost to Australia by a whopping 85 runs but he expects that the 16-year-old to bounce back strongly in future.
Australia won their fifth world title on Sunday and maintained their dominance over the first-time finalists India. However, it was Verma and the bowlers who took India to the final. Although Verma did pretty well till the final, she could not click in the final clash and got out in the very first over by Megan Schutt and was seen sobbing after the final as well.
“I really felt for Shafali Verma at the end, it was tough seeing her in tears but she should be very proud of the way she’s performed in Australia,” Lee wrote in his column for the ICC.
“To come out here and face your first tournament head-on is testament to her talent and mental strength, and she’s only going to get better from here,” he added. “…she’ll learn from this experience and come back stronger. Moments like this can define you in a positive way…Don’t be surprised to see her put a big score on the Aussies the next time they play.”
However, the former pace spearhead has said that he expects the Indian team to bounce back strongly after the 85-run defeat. Moreover, he said that it will take time for them to get settled down as they had never played in a final before like this situation what we saw in Melbourne. To play in a crowd like this, it needs a lot of planning as well.
Moreover, Brett Lee praised a lot about Australia’s performance and also added that the way Alyssa Healy (75) and Beth Mooney (78) started the innings on Sunday, it was reminded him the 2003 ODI men’s World Cup final which Australia won against India too. That game featured the stalwarts like Sachin Tendulkar, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn etc.
However, he added that the scoreboard pressure is something which is important in the final and India failed to get the momentum what they needed for the chase in the final and eventually lost.
