T20 World Cup loss fuels Radha Yadav's fire

Radha Yadav admitted that India's loss to Australia in the final of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020 was a difficult pill to swallow, but is hoping to use the time off to continue to improve and come back strong. India went down to the hosts by 85 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 8, with Alyssa Healy taking the bowlers to the cleaners, tonking a rapid 75.



"Before the final, I was so focused on winning… that loss hurt," the 19-year-old said in an interview with Scroll.in. "It’s not easy for me to forget that day. Personally, I don’t like losing and it takes me time to recover."



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"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."



Given that was the last game played before the Coronavirus outbreak ensured a nationwide lockdown, it has been even harder for Yadav to wipe the match from her memory. However, the left-arm spinner is keen to use the disappointment to further fuel her fire.



"We are at home now so it plays up further in my mind. If I was playing or practising 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."



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Despite the loss in the final, the tournament was not all doom and gloom for Yadav, who, having initially been left out of the side, enjoyed a successful World Cup. The left-armer picked up six wickets in three matches, combining with Poonam Yadav, Deepti Sharma and Rajeshwari Gayakwad for to form a formidable partnership.

The spinners' success aside, 16-year-old Shafali Verma, too, was a star performer for India with the bat scoring 163 runs through the tournament, which saw her briefly occupy the No.1 spot in the ICC T20I batting charts.