Ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan, members of the national team will aim to replicate the magic created by the U19 cricket team that made history by defeating the ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup to win England’s first ever final in January. middle. The high-octane ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign opener between arch-rivals India and Pakistan will be held in Cape Town on Sunday.
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur said it was good that the two national team veterans, Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh, got a taste of what it was like to lift the World Cup trophy.
Harman Preet said in a video released by the ICC: “It’s good that two of our players got a taste of this feeling after winning the World Cup trophy. Their experiences and feelings will inspire others. We hope to continue our what the U19 team did.” .
The skipper said it was important to her that every member of the team was on the field because team effort was the key to winning every game.
“I feel like a player can only win you a game or two. That’s why I talk to all the players all the time to make them feel comfortable,” the captain added.
India opener Smriti Mandhana also said that after the U19 team won the World Cup, the senior team started to imagine themselves winning the trophy in a year, which is already important for women’s cricket.
“This is something we’ve been trying to bring to Team India for a long time. We’ve come very close but couldn’t achieve it before. It’s thrilling to see the girls cross the line (during the U19 T20 WC),” added Mandhana.
The explosive 19-year-old top batsman reflected on India’s heartbreaking loss to Australia in the 2020 tournament final as the women in blue dropped 85 runs as they chased a 185-run target. India were tied for 99 runs.
“That game was very close to my heart. It was the first World Cup in my life. We can’t say we lost because we won the hearts of millions of fans. It was a great game and I learned from it Gained a lot of momentum with it. We will try to win every game and we want to win the World Cup,” Shafali said.
India head coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar says U19 World Cup victory will have a huge impact on women’s cricket.
“Women’s cricket is getting more attention. I’m sure there are a lot of girls who will watch these games and use the sport as a career,” Kanitka added.
The coach said it was a pleasure to have two senior players in the squad play in South Africa and experience the conditions there before the game.
“There’s a huge wind factor that comes into play when it comes to batting and bowling,” the coach added.
Kanitka also said that the team’s defensive level has improved, and the players are very concerned and interested in their defensive training and practice.
“Our aim is to be the best team in the world and defense plays a big part in that,” Kanitka added.
India squad for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023:Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (week), Richa Ghosh (week) Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Radha Yadav, Renuka Thakur, Anjali Sarvani, Pooja Vastrakar , Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Shikha Pandey
reserve:Sabbhineni Meghana, Sneh Rana, Meghna Singh
notes: Pooja Vastrakar’s inclusion in the team depends on fitness.
(Aside from the title, this story is unedited by NDTV staff and published via a syndicated feed.)
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