We just want to go out there & enjoy our cricket: Harmanpreet Kaur on Women’s T20 World Cup

Kolkata: A young and fiery Indian women’s cricket team step into their biggest test for the year 2023 when they begin their campaign for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

With the hopes of an entire nation resting on their shoulders, the ‘Women in Blue’ will have to play their best cricket to bring the ICC trophy back home.

Led by the charismatic Harmanpreet Kaur, Team India will be looking to build on their achievements from last year, where they won the Women’s Asia Cup 2022 and now have their eyes fixed on the T20 World Cup.

With the likes of Smrithi Mandanna, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepthi Sharma all geared up to bring the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup back to India after the heroics of the Women’s U-19 team, it will be an enrapturing tournament for all cricket fans.

Speaking exclusively on Star Sports show ‘Believe in Blue’, captain of the Indian women’s cricket team Harmanpreet Kaur further spoke about how the team is going to approach the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup and how they will adapt to the conditions in South Africa, she said “I think, for the past few years we have been travelling, so there won’t be much difference to us. But recently, we had a camp in Bangalore where the ball was good, we trained specially in a few areas we wanted to work. Before that we have tri series, in the tri series we will have enough time to get settled in those conditions."

"Now we aren’t thinking of too many things, how it’s going to work or not going to work. We only think about whether we can do it or not and which areas do we feel that we can improve on even 1% every day. So, I think other than just thinking about whether it’s going to work or not going to work, we just want to go there and enjoy our cricket,” she said.

Speaking exclusively on Star Sports show ‘Believe in Blue’, Team India cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues spoke on how she and her teammates look up to Harmanpreet Kaur and how they gain motivation from the captain.

She said, “I think it started with a knock of Harmanpreet, because before that, Hari di was going through a bad patch and I can’t imagine the kind of emotions or what she was feeling at that time. Because there was a lot of pressure, lot of criticism, I think even maybe the selectors and all were also kind of asking why she’s not performing and all that."

"So, as a player, all of us know it’s not the easiest place to be when you’re down and out. But from there to come out of that and to come out with a bang and the way she did, when the team required it the most, I think that stood out for me for Hari di. You know more than the knock, the way she go back up and showed who she is, I think that’s one thing that was very inspiring for me. And even till now you know we can just take so much motivation from that because we know it’s not the end and there’s always a better come back up,” Rodrigues said.

Team India approach the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup with fervour and determination to bring a coveted ICC trophy back to the country, a feat that was recently achieved by the U-19 Women’s team in South Africa. With the support of 140 crore Indians, the team will have to be at their very best to have a strong run in the competition and have a successful campaign. (UNI)