Indian women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur is confident that her team will overcome the challenges posed by Australia at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
Harmanpreet Kaur acknowledged that Australia is a strong team in the tournament but added that Team India is capable of beating them.
Team India has only reached the final once since the inception of the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2009. India were defeated by Australia in the final in 2020.
India also lost the ODI World Cup final to Australia in 2017. Harmanpreet has been a member of both teams and led India in the T20 World Cup.
The Women in Blue reached their first T20 World Cup final in 2020 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. However, the team was bowled out for 99 while chasing 185 against Australia. Harmanpreet Kaur remains optimistic about India’s chances in the upcoming tournament in the UAE next month.
We are a strong team – Harmanpreet Kaur
Speaking at a press conference, the Indian captain said that India will defeat Australia in the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup. Harmanpreet stressed that Team India has a chance to win the title after several years. She said that they need to stay focused and play good cricket.
“Look, their team is good, there is no doubt about that. They also know that India is one of the teams that can challenge them. I think that is a very positive sign. We know that whenever we play against them, we can beat them any day, any time,” Harmanpreet said at a press conference.
“Winning the title after so many years is a great opportunity for us. They know we are a strong team. We just want to play good cricket and stay focused on what will help us beat them,” she added.
India reached the semi-finals of the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup. However, they lost to Australia by five runs in Cape Town.
Since the end of the last tournament, India has had mixed results. They had victories against Bangladesh, but before that they suffered a series defeat against Australia and England.
It is the best team to reach the World Cup – Harmanpreet Kaur
The 35-year-old cricketer stressed that the team has a wealth of experience as several players have been part of the squad for a long time and know their roles well. Kaur stressed that this is the best team they are taking to the tournament.
“If I talk about this team, we have some players who have been playing for a long time and know their roles very well. I have a lot of confidence in this team and I can say that yes, it is the best team for the World Cup,” she added.
Australia and England have been India’s toughest opponents in ICC tournaments for the past seven years. India is placed in Group A along with Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led team will begin their campaign against New Zealand on October 4 in Dubai.
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