2nd ODI: Preparation brings clarity, which in turn brings results: Tejal Hasabnis

Vadodara: India batter Tejal Hasabnis believes thorough preparation for different match situations has been the key behind her recent good run, saying it gives her the clarity she needs once she walks out to bat in the middle order.

Tejal struck twin half-centuries for India 'A' getting the 2-1 50-over series win over Australia A in Mohali, and it paved her way to earn a recall to the Indian team for the ongoing ODI series against Zimbabwe at the BCA Stadium.

“So honestly speaking, I feel preparation is very crucial as a middle-order batter because I try to be in different kind of situations. As you said, I practice that a lot in different areas. Like what areas I can target or what kind of innings I want to build.

“Then when I’m playing in the match, I just try to have more clarity as I guess clarity gives more results. So I guess preparation helps. Good preparation always helps to become clear and clarity gives better output,” Hasabnis told broadcasters in a pre-match chat ahead of the second ODI on Sunday.

Reflecting on her back-to-back scores of 81 and 60 against Australia A, the right-handed Tejal said staying in the present and keeping a close eye on the match situation allowed her to stay ahead of the opposition bowlers.

“I was just trying to look and stay present, and I was just looking at the scoreboard and adapting accordingly, and it helped me, and technically, I was just trying to be one step ahead of them and it worked.”

When asked whether her preparation was more mental or technical, Tejal said self-belief played the bigger role, as well as being confident about her ability to shift gears when required and keep the scoreboard ticking.

"It's I feel it’s just about mindset. I know that I have both the gears – like whenever a team needs, I can just put my foot down and attack and if given a situation, I know I am good at rotating sides. So it’s just about having that belief and following the scoreboard, I guess."

With India having won the series opener by nine wickets, Tejal signed off by saying the team was eager to keep the winning run going while staying focused on the basics. “I feel it’s definitely important as winning and dominating is something we are looking forward to and winning is always good. So we’ll just try to focus on our process and make today count,” she said.

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