Team India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has asserted that the players have worked on their mental strengths to handle crunch situations in the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup. The Indian women’s cricket team has played some impressive cricket in the past few years but has failed to get their hands on an ICC title as they often failed to hold their nerves and crumbled under pressure.
Indian players have been working on their mental strength for a “long time” which should help the team in overcoming hurdles, says skipper Harmanpreet Kaur ahead of the upcoming women’s T20 World Cup next month.
Indian Women’s performance over the years in World Events under Harmanpreet Kaur
Under Harmanpreet Kaur’s leadership, India played in the finals of the 2020 T20 World Cup and Commonwealth Games 2022, but they failed to cross the final hurdle against Australia on both occasions. India, who finished as runner-up in the 2020 edition of the tournament, is placed in Group A along with six-time winner and defending champion Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
India’s performances in summit clashes have featured in discussions given the team lost in the 2020 final by 85 runs to Australia, while England had pipped it by a mere nine runs in the 2017 ODI World Cup final. Even in the Commonwealth Games 2022, Australia eked out a nine-run win to clinch the gold medal despite a spirited show with the bat from India in the final, with Kaur’s team settling for the silver.
India’s campaign begins on October 4 against New Zealand followed by the clash against arch-rival Pakistan on October 6. India, who lost to Sri Lanka in the women’s Asia Cup final earlier this year, will take on the team from the island nation on October 9 and each of its first three group stage matches will be played in Dubai. India’s final group match against Australia will be played at Sharjah on October 13.
On personal front, Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, holds a unique record in the history of the Women’s T20 World Cup. In 2018, she became the first and only Indian woman to score a century in this prestigious tournament. Her remarkable achievement took place against New Zealand at Providence Stadium in Guyana. Notably, Harmanpreet Kaur is also set to lead Team India in the 2024 edition of the competition.
Harmanpreet Kaur has amassed 3,426 runs from 141 matches in Women’s T20Is, with an average of 28.08 and a strike-rate of 107.32.This includes one hundred and 12 fifties. In the T20 World Cup alone, she has scored 576 runs from 35 matches at an average of 20.57 and a strike-rate of 107.66, further highlighting her consistency and reliability as a batter for India.
Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur further spoke about how diversity in the Indian cricket team’s dressing room fosters a positive atmosphere with a aim to change the mental attitude in right place.
Harmanpreet Kaur and Co identify the ‘hurdle’ which eluded IND from ICC title
Indian women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur has revealed that her players have been working on building “mental strength” to counter death overs in T20Is ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup in the UAE. She believes gaining more mental stability can help them execute their plans better in high-pressure situations.
Harmanpreet has been a champion for mental health and conditioning in her team for a long time. The team also hired a psychologist to help the players during their off-season camp in Bengaluru after the runners-up finish in the Women’s Asia Cup.
“We have been working on mental strength for a long time. The last 3-4 overs are the most crucial. T20 cricket is not a small format; at the end of the day, you are playing 40 overs,” Harmanpreet told Star Sports.
“In the last 4-5 overs, the team that is mentally strong wins the match. We have been focusing on this for a while. If we can remain mentally stable in those final five overs, we can execute what’s best for us.”
“We are working on those aspects, and hopefully, we will overcome this hurdle in the tournament,” she added.
India have lost a few important games in final overs in the recent past, including the finals of the 2017 ODI World Cup in England and the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia. Even in last year’s T20 World Cup, India failed to chase down 39 runs off the last five overs despite having five wickets in hand.
Harmanpreet Kaur views on team’s diversity ahead of T20I World Cup
Harmanpreet Kaur also pointed out to one of her team’s biggest strengths — diversity, and the willingness to learn from each other. She said such an experience was exclusive to sports and sportspersons.
“All the players in our team come from different states. It feels good when you see so many different characters in the team. People from various states share the dressing room, and you get to learn about their cultures. I think you can only experience that in sports, not in any other career,” Harmanpreet added.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s team will face New Zealand on October 4 in Dubai to kick off their 2024 T20 World Cup charge. As the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup approaches, all eyes will be on Harmanpreet Kaur to see if she can replicate her past successes and lead India to victory.