The Indian Women’s National Cricket Team, captained by the experienced Harmanpreet Kaur, has embarked on their journey to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. This tournament, initially scheduled to be held in Bangladesh, was relocated to the UAE due to political tensions in the original host country.
Preparations and Optimism Ahead of the T20 World Cup
The team, brimming with confidence and determination, is set to face New Zealand in their opening match. Harmanpreet Kaur, addressing the media at the pre-departure press conference in Mumbai, expressed her optimism about the team’s prospects. “If I talk about this team, we have a few players who have been playing for a long time and they know their roles really well,” she said. “I can say that this is the best team we are going for a T20 World Cup with.”
The squad includes key players like Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, and the reliable all-rounder Pooja Vastrakar. Harmanpreet highlighted the importance of these players, especially the bowling unit led by Renuka Singh, who has been consistently providing breakthroughs. “Renuka is someone who is always giving us breakthroughs. Arundhati Reddy is someone who can always come and bowl a few overs for the team and bat in the deep,” she added.
And…we are off ✈️
The #T20WorldCup journey begins 👌#TeamIndia | @ImHarmanpreet pic.twitter.com/cg8iNhzdJm
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) September 25, 2024
Recent Performances
Despite not having played competitive international cricket since their loss to Sri Lanka in the Women’s Asia Cup final in July, the Indian team has undergone rigorous preparations at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Reflecting on their recent performances, Harmanpreet mentioned, “During the Asia Cup, we played really good cricket, if I talk about the entire tournament. It was just one odd game that day when things didn’t go according to the way we wanted.”
India has historically fallen short in major tournaments, most recently at the 2023 edition in South Africa, where they lost in the semi-finals to eventual champions Australia. Harmanpreet acknowledged these past disappointments but emphasized that the team has prepared thoroughly this time around. “We sat and discussed how we wanted to work on our shortcomings in the camps and where we can improve if next time these kinds of situations arise,” she said.
The Road Ahead
The Indian team will start their World Cup campaign against New Zealand on October 4 at the Dubai International Stadium. Before that, they will play warm-up matches against West Indies and South Africa. Harmanpreet remains confident in the team’s current form, despite mixed results in 2024, including a loss to Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final. “Australia is a strong team, but they know India can challenge them anytime. We are taking our best team to the World Cup, and this is a great opportunity to win the title,” she stated.
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