Working on my mental game helped turn things around, says Deandra Dottin

West Indies batter Deandra Dottin has said that focusing on the mental game helped her get back into form in the ongoing T20I series against England.



Dottin, who had a poor World Cup with the bat making 12 runs in three matches, has been the lone warrior for the West Indies in England. She is the leading run-scorer of the series with 170 runs in three innings.



The right-hander attributed the quick turn around with the bat to the amount of time she invested in focusing on the mental aspects of the game. "I have been focusing more on my mental game. I think it was more of seeing, reflecting on my past games, just getting back my strong mentality in terms of scoring runs and being out there in the middle," Dottin said in a video shared by Cricket West Indies.



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The 29-year-old is back at the top of ICC rankings owing to her performance in this series. However, she said that the journey to the top after the injury break she had in 2019 has not been easy.



"The journey back to playing cricket after that injury was pretty tough," she said, adding that there were times when she thought her career was over. "I guess, the pain actually gave me strength in terms of fighting and getting back out there and you know wanting to be healthy again to play cricket for West Indies."



Dottin credited former West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira for supporting her through the tough times. "In that down period, I have been talking to Merissa a lot. She been telling me to not give up and keep praying and stuff. A couple of players had messaged me wishing a speedy recovery."



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Dottin did not bowl in the first two T20Is, however, in the third game, she was back with the ball getting the crucial wicket of England allrounder Natalie Sciver who scored a belligerent 82.



The Windies allrounder said that although she wanted to bowl in the first game, they had to manage her shoulder before getting back to bowling. "It felt really good to actually get to bowl back in international cricket. After that, it felt like I didn't even have an injury at all."



The 'World Boss' said that she would stick to her attacking instincts even if she is coming back from injury, adding, "I have been doing a lot session with the psychologists putting in confidence and bowling," she concluded.