Harmanpreet looks to India men’s team for inspiration in pursuit of maiden Women’s T20 World Cup title
Harmanpreet Kaur will lead India’s charge for their maiden senior Women’s ICC title at the upcoming T20 World Cup in October.
The Indian Women's team has faced a series of near-misses in ICC events over the past decade.
They were runners-up at both the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup in 2017 and the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2020, along with several other knockout-stage appearances, but the coveted trophy has remained just out of reach.
A similar story unfolded for the men's team, who broke their title drought earlier this year when Rohit Sharma led them to victory at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, ending a decade-long wait since their last triumph at the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.
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The Women’s team now has the opportunity to double India’s celebration, with Harmanpreet Kaur eager to mirror the recent success of her male counterparts within just a few months.
"We have been really inspired by the men's team, the way they won the T20 World Cup this year," Harmanpreet said at an event in Delhi, on the same day India announced their squad for the Women’s T20 World Cup.
"They worked really hard for this trophy and won some tough matches. We need to learn how they maintained their body language for such matches and how they approached such games. We're on the same road now and getting ready for our (T20) World Cup campaign.
“The team is working really hard and our attempt will be to give our country and fans another opportunity to celebrate this year."
India are placed in Group A of the upcoming tournament alongside Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
With only the top two teams advancing to the knockout stage, India will need to be at their absolute best. Their final group match against Australia is expected to be crucial, while they'll also need to stay alert against Sri Lanka, who recently defeated them in the Women’s Asia Cup Final.
Having come close on multiple occasions, the pressure will be on India to deliver. Harmanpreet emphasised the unique challenges that come with playing a World Cup, highlighting the importance of preparation and managing expectations.
"The World Cup is a kind of tournament for which all teams prepare differently," Harmanpreet added. "So no team can be taken lightly and similarly no team should be overestimated either.
“Bilateral series have a different kind of pressure and for World Cups there is pressure as well as expectations and hopes of fans. We are working extremely hard to live up to those expectations, we have been holding camps where all players are working hard.
“We have also worked on the mistakes we made the last time. Now we're ready with a positive mindset."
The Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 will commence on 3 October, with India starting their campaign the following day, 4 October, against New Zealand in Dubai.
They will remain in Dubai to face Pakistan (6 October) and Sri Lanka (9 October), before moving to Sharjah for their final group-stage match against Australia (13 October).