T20 WC final spot reward of our performance in group stage: Veda Krishnamurthy​​​​​​​

Veda Krishnamurthy​​​​​​​ (IANS)

Melbourne, March 6:  Ahead of the much-anticipated summit clash against Australia in the ongoing Women's T20 World Cup, Veda Krishnamurthy has said that the weather is something which is not in the hands of the players and that the Indian team has reaped rewards for the way they played in the group stage.

India entered their maiden T20 World Cup final after their semi-final clash against England got washed out on Thursday. India had won all four games to top Group A while England came in second behind South Africa and thus the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side made it to the summit clash.

"Being in the final is just reward for the way we played in the group stages. There was an advantage to having won all our games with the weather not in our hands.

"We said the first aim was to get to the final and take it from there. We've crossed the first stage. We need to make sure we hold our nerves and we do what we need to do on the final day."

"It's all about destiny, and I'm a big believer in destiny. I feel like this is the way it was meant to be," said the batter.

After their narrow defeat against Australia in the second semi-final, South Africa captain Dane Van Niekerk had said that she would rather lose a semi-final match than "get a free pass" to the World Cup final.

"I am not going to sit and lie and say, 'You don't think about it'," van Niekerk said, about the possibility of her team qualifying for the final if the match had been washed out by virtue of their higher tally of points in the group stage than Australia.

"I have to give credit to the ground staff; they did absolutely everything to keep us on the park. And we are here to play cricket. I'd rather lose than get a free pass into the World Cup final."

Conditions have suited Harmanpreet's side, harnessing the momentum of a milestone opening-night victory over Australia to seal a maiden appearance in the final to be played on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

"There is a joke going around that this World Cup is made in such a way that it's helping us, starting from the wickets to everything else," Veda smiled.

India's recent rivalry with Australia has taken fascinating twists and turns, with Kaur's outfit chasing down 173 in their recent tri-series and getting home by 17 runs in the tournament opener.

The event began with concerns around the form of India's middle-order with opening batter Smriti Mandhana acknowledging they needed protection from top-order stars.

Krishnamurthy has recovered from a series of single-digit scores in the tri-series to impress, with Kaur labelling her 20 from 11 balls in a finishing role in a Bangladesh as a 'turning point'.

The Karnataka product has felt the benefit of being backed by the team's coaching staff and feels the clarity of her role is reflective of a balanced squad.

"As an individual, the role given to me is very consistent in the last year," added Krishnamurthy.

"They've put effort in the last year to keep me there and I've been supported by every individual, not just one or two. The entire team, with all the support staff, has shown faith in me.

"I know coming into the World Cup I'd play a crucial role to finish the innings well, which I felt I was unable to do in the last World Cup in the West Indies.

"I was very motivated to do my role and I've been working on that. It's not just me, all 15 players involved know what their role is.

"I'm happy we're all putting in efforts and executing our role properly. Even if it's a smallish contribution of saving a couple of runs, it's all panned out really well," she added.