Harmanpreet Kaur

New Delhi [India], September 26 (ANI): Ahead of her side’s ICC Women’s World Cup campaign, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur stated that nothing gets bigger than playing the marquee tournament at home and expressed hope that the Women in Blue would not disappoint the fans who have been waiting for them to lift a World Cup across both white-ball formats.

Harmanpreet was speaking to JioStar ahead of the start of her team’s World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka from September 30 onwards at Guwahati. The two-time finalists from 2005 and 2017 will be aiming for their first-ever 50-over World Cup crown.

Speaking to JioHotstar, Harmanpreet pointed out that this is her fifth ODI World Cup and having it at home is really big, but the team does not want to put that pressure on themselves and just enjoys their game.

“It is my fifth ODI World Cup, and getting to lead the team in a home World Cup, it can’t be bigger than this. It’s a home World Cup, but we do not want to put any pressure on ourselves. Our primary goal is to enjoy cricket. The 2017 World Cup was a game-changing World Cup for us that brought a lot of awareness in India. Now, we have a big bunch of talent, and the Women’s Premier League also played a big role in our lives. Every year has brought so much positivity to our cricket. I do not think any player can explain how it feels when the national anthem is being played. It is a very proud moment for me,” she added.

The skipper said that ahead of the tournament, the team and fans alike are very positive because of the amount of cricket the team has played over the last one and a half years, and the team feels ready.

“Even when we play a World Cup, the mindset is the same: I want to do something special for my team and my country. I always motivate myself that way. Whenever I go out there, I should not feel any pressure. Playing a World Cup, in home conditions, will be a very special moment for all of us. And if we are able to win here, that will be a very big moment in my life, and not just in my life, but for the entire country. Everyone is waiting for that moment, and hopefully this time we will not disappoint them,” he added.

Harmanpreet is the ninth-highest scorer in the history of the World Cup, with 876 runs in 26 matches and 22 innings at an average of 51.52, with three centuries and four fifties. Her best score is 171*.

Team India is heading into the World Cup following a 1-2 series loss to Australia at home and has had a poor start to their preparations, suffering a 152-run loss to England during the warm-up clash in Bengaluru on Thursday. Since the last World Cup in 2022, when they faced a group stage exit, India has won 25 out of 38 ODIs played, lost 12 and tied one.

Harmanpreet recalled making her ICC Women’s World Cup debut at the age of 18 back in 2009 in Australia, saying that after cutting the cake for her birthday, she learnt the next day that she was going to play and making her debut in the tournament against arch-rivals Pakistan was even more memorable.

“That was a very special moment for me (her World Cup debut). One day I was 18-years-old, cutting a cake for my birthday, and the next day I got to know that I was going to play. Representing my country in the ODI World Cup was a very big moment for me. Of course, I was nervous the night before, but when I entered the ground and saw the atmosphere and the crowd, it was truly special. As a young cricketer, I had always wanted to play for my country, and making my debut against Pakistan made it even more memorable because that is always a special occasion for all of us. The pressure on the women’s team was immense, especially for me as I was so young. It felt like playing in home conditions, and I did feel that pressure because it was such a big tournament in front of a home crowd. That experience taught me a lot, and it has helped me ever since,” she concluded.

India squad for ICC Women’s World Cup: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Uma Chetry, Renuka Singh Thakur, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud. Reserves: Tejal Hasabnis, Prema Rawat, Priya Mishra, Minnu Mani, Sayali Satghare. (ANI)

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