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Cricket

“We hope to continue what our U19 team did,” says Harmanpreet Kaur

Members of the senior national squad are looking to duplicate the magic generated by the U19 cricket team, who made history by winning the first-ever ICC Women’s T20 World Cup by defeating England in the final back in January. This will be both teams’ tournament debut, and they will aim to give it their all in order to start the season on a strong note. India was dealt a major setback before of the match as renowned Indian batter Smriti Mandhana was ruled out. It would be fascinating to observe how Team India responds to this challenge.

The women’s cricket teams of India and Pakistan have met multiple times in T20 international matches. India has won 11 of the 16 matches played, while Pakistan has won 5 of them. India and Pakistan have met three times in T20 World Cups, with India prevailing all three occasions. When it comes to best scorer in India-Pakistan encounters, Indian starter Smriti Mandhana holds the record, with 217 runs in 7 innings, with one century and two half-centuries.

Harmanpreet Kaur will aim to rely on the Women in Blue’s powerful batting lineup, but also on the aggressive Renuka Singh, whose success with the ball will be crucial in their opening game against Pakistan.

Harmanpreet Kaur, India’s captain, said it was great that Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh, two veteran national team members, got a taste of winning a World Cup championship.

“It feels good that two of our players got the taste of how it feels after winning a World Cup trophy. Their experience and feelings will motivate others. We hope to continue what our U19 team did,” said Harmanpreet in a video posted by ICC.

“I feel that a single player can only win you a game or two. That is why, I keep talking to all the players, to keep them comfortable. It is something we are trying to bring for the Indian team for a very long time. We came really close previously but could not achieve it. To see the girls go over the line during U19 T20 World Cup was emotional,” added the skipper.

Bismah Maroof, the skipper of the Pakistan Women’s National Team, will be seeking to improve her country’s record in big competitions and turn the team’s prospects around at the World Cup. Maroof will look to her countrymen Nida Dar and Ayesha Naseem, two of the most powerful T20 cricketers, to assist her in her victory.

Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Team India’s head coach, stated that the U19 World Cup victory will have a significant influence on women’s cricket. The coach stated that it was beneficial for two senior players on the squad to play in South Africa and become acquainted with the conditions there before to the event. Kanitkar also stated that the team’s fielding skills had improved, with players giving close focus and attention to their fielding exercises and practise.

“There is a lot more attention being given to women’s cricket. I am sure there are a lot of girls who will be watching these tournaments and will take up the game as a profession. There is a huge wind factor that makes the difference while batting and bowling. The goal is to be the best team in the world and fielding plays a huge part in that,” added Kanitkar.

India is in Group B with England, West Indies, Pakistan, and Ireland, and the top two teams from the group will advance to the semi-finals.

India XI for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Richa Ghosh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Radha Yadav, Renuka Thakur, Anjali Sarvani, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shikha Pandey.

 

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