Chennai spinner Sneh Rana said India was always confident of sealing out the match despite South Africa's comeback in the second innings of the one-off Test here on Monday.
Despite their early dominance, India had to wait until the fourth and final day of the Test to achieve the eventual 10-wicket victory.
"Are you demotivating us? (laughs). We had positive vibes throughout (the match) and it never crossed our minds that South Africa was taking the game away from us," Rana said in the post-match press meet.
"The match was always tilted towards India. We still believed that we could take a wicket at any time, and that is exactly what happened," he added.
Rana said it was about staying calm when the South Africans offered resistance.
"There will be phases during the Tests when the opposition will create alliances. But to stay calm and keep our minds moving, we chirped and told jokes with each other which helped us stay awake," he said.
Rana bagged 10 wickets in the match for 188 runs, the second-best Test bowling figures by an Indian in Tests after former pacer Jhulan Goswami's 10 for 78.
The player said she was working on her skills in the camp ahead of the bowlers' series at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
"We don't really go into the technical part because the time is extremely limited. But we do plan what we could throw, what we could do and how to get the best out of ourselves. Whether it's our standard ball or the variation, we just work on those aspects ", he responded to a question.
"Obviously, the pitching (here) favored the hitters. The conditions were difficult (for the pitchers), but today you find more or less similar conditions everywhere.
"Therefore, we need to consistently work on variations and stock of balls and when and how to use them efficiently. For example, how we are going to implement them against the best hitters like Laura (Wolvaardt) and Marizanne Kapp. We need to carry forward these small learnings "he explained.
Rana described the victory over South Africa as "satisfactory".
"In terms of satisfaction, we are delighted, especially when you beat the best teams with great performance, especially when you need it most. So there is nothing more satisfying than that," she said.
Having played three Tests in the last six months, Rana felt that there should be more bilateral matches in women's cricket.
"The Test is one of the best formats in this sport, and the more it is played, the better it is for women's cricket.
"Thanks again to the BCCI for reviving the multi-day (national) competitions, and I think we should play more than one Test (per series)," she concluded.
Despite their early dominance, India had to wait until the fourth and final day of the Test to achieve the eventual 10-wicket victory.
"Are you demotivating us? (laughs). We had positive vibes throughout (the match) and it never crossed our minds that South Africa was taking the game away from us," Rana said in the post-match press meet.
"The match was always tilted towards India. We still believed that we could take a wicket at any time, and that is exactly what happened," he added.
Rana said it was about staying calm when the South Africans offered resistance.
"There will be phases during the Tests when the opposition will create alliances. But to stay calm and keep our minds moving, we chirped and told jokes with each other which helped us stay awake," he said.
Rana bagged 10 wickets in the match for 188 runs, the second-best Test bowling figures by an Indian in Tests after former pacer Jhulan Goswami's 10 for 78.
The player said she was working on her skills in the camp ahead of the bowlers' series at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
"We don't really go into the technical part because the time is extremely limited. But we do plan what we could throw, what we could do and how to get the best out of ourselves. Whether it's our standard ball or the variation, we just work on those aspects ", he responded to a question.
"Obviously, the pitching (here) favored the hitters. The conditions were difficult (for the pitchers), but today you find more or less similar conditions everywhere.
"Therefore, we need to consistently work on variations and stock of balls and when and how to use them efficiently. For example, how we are going to implement them against the best hitters like Laura (Wolvaardt) and Marizanne Kapp. We need to carry forward these small learnings "he explained.
Rana described the victory over South Africa as "satisfactory".
"In terms of satisfaction, we are delighted, especially when you beat the best teams with great performance, especially when you need it most. So there is nothing more satisfying than that," she said.
Having played three Tests in the last six months, Rana felt that there should be more bilateral matches in women's cricket.
"The Test is one of the best formats in this sport, and the more it is played, the better it is for women's cricket.
"Thanks again to the BCCI for reviving the multi-day (national) competitions, and I think we should play more than one Test (per series)," she concluded.
