Sports Harmanpreet Kaur is “moderately confident” with the India squad at her disposal for Ladies folk’s T20 World Cup 2024 on narrative of of the experience they devise. As many as 12 of India’s 15 squad individuals have prior experience of playing the tournament. Simplest Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana and S Sajana are making their first appearances at a World Cup, having advance via admire-catching performances in the Ladies folk’s Premier League.
“If I focus on this team, we now have a few gamers who were playing for a truly prolonged time and they know their roles in actual fact smartly,” Harmanpreet stated on the pre-departure press convention in Mumbai. “I will sing that this is the most curious team we are going for a T20 World Cup with.
“Pooja [Vastrakar] is doing smartly and Renuka [Singh] is supporting her in actual fact smartly. She [Renuka] is somebody who is continuously giving us breakthroughs. Arundhati [Reddy] is somebody who can continuously advance and bowl a few overs for the team and bat in the deep. I will no longer compare our bowling line-up with lots of groups on narrative of each team has its possess positives and negatives, but I am moderately confident in my team. I do know what they are doing and what they are in a position to.”
India performed T20Is against Australia, England, South Africa and Bangladesh, as antagonistic to the Asia Cup, in the lead-as a lot as the T20 World Cup. Whereas they misplaced the series against England and Australia, each by a 2-1 margin, they won 5-0 in Bangladesh and tied the series against South Africa 1-1 after one game used to be washed out. The surprise consequence, though, came on the Asia Cup, the build Sri Lanka beat them in the final to safe their maiden title.
“All the draw via the Asia Cup, we performed in actual fact appropriate cricket, if I talk in regards to the total tournament,” Harmanpreet stated. “It used to be lovely one abnormal game that day when issues did not sail in step with the skill we wanted. We sat and mentioned how we wanted to work on our shortcomings in the camps and the build we are in a position to give a boost to if next time a form of those scenarios arise.”
The Asia Cup, in July, used to be India’s closing day out earlier than the World Cup. Since then, they’d a few camps whereas a few gamers performed in the Hundred and the Ladies folk’s Caribbean Premier League. Head coach Amol Muzumdar stated that the camps were designed with a focal level on specifics and that the inability of game-time could perchance well need to never bog down India on the World Cup.
“We had a smartly being camp which took home on the NCA and smartly being and fielding camp,” Muzumdar stated. “That used to be particularly done for those two areas and the abilities [aspect] weren’t touched. Your total 15 days were delegated to smartly being and fielding.
“In a while, we had a ten-day expertise camp, the build there were no longer lovely the internet periods but the gamers performed almost five video games in ten days. So when you occur to demand for game time, we now have ticked that field. We performed some very competitive video games. There were lots of oppositions, there were lots of ability sets that were chosen for those particular video games.”
India executed runners-up on the T20 World Cup in 2020 and misplaced in the semi-finals in 2018 and 2023. They furthermore narrowly misplaced the gold medal to Australia on the inaugural Commonwealth Video games in 2022.
In a state to tackle tension better, the gamers have had periods with sports psychologist Mugdha Bavare. In the past, Harmanpreet has spoken about how Bavare helped her overcome mental fatigue, and the periods in the camp closing month have helped the gamers, she stated.
“Whenever you talk [to a psychologist] in my thought, you know what you are speaking and the areas you need to perchance well need to focal level on,” she stated. “Nonetheless in the case of the team, it is valuable that everyone opens up so as that as a team we are in a position to work collectively and serve the player as needed. We had a few periods the build we talked to each lots of about how we wre feeling and the draw we wanted to pass about it. With Mugdha’s serve, there were a form of periods after which we felt smartly after which after executing it on the bottom, we felt better. She is truly working nerve-racking on us, and as a lot as now, it is in actual fact serving to us.”
‘We can show our No. 3 closer to opening game’ – Muzumdar
Muzumdar used to be furthermore guarded on the No. 3 space, which has been in focal level in most contemporary times. Since Jemimah Rodrigues’ shift down to No. 5 in April, India have tried Yastika Bhatia, D Hemalatha, S Sajana and Uma Chetry at that space. Hemalatha got the longest drag, batting at No. 3 in seven of the 12 video games India performed since April. With Bhatia’s return, though, issues are somewhat unclear.
“Ever since I’ve taken over, we now have had some no longer easy series against appropriate groups – England, Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, after which Asia Cup. So, I reflect the preparation has been fantastic,” Muzumdar stated. “As some distance because the top six is anxious, I reflect they’re the most curious in the country.
“I do know for a fact that in T20, the No. 3 sets the game up. We now have identified [our No. 3] but we are in a position to show that simplest closer to our opening game.”
The World Cup used to be moved to the UAE after the anti-authorities protests in Bangladesh. Muzumdar stated whereas the alternate in the venue did effect a spanner in the works, India were smartly-outfitted for the challenges.
“We had particularly long gone to Bangladesh in Would possibly perchance well and performed five T20Is to rating historical to stipulations. I reflect stipulations [in UAE] would be have what we now have over here in India,” stated Muzumdar, who used to be the batting coach of Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2020, which used to be held in the UAE across the the same length. “It is lovely that initiate of the season, I reflect there’ll be a microscopic bit of soar on the surfaces in Dubai especially.
“Humidity will play a portion over there. There’ll be a form of heat over there, hot and humid. Nonetheless I reflect we are going to wish to pass there and lovely assess the home, assess the bottom stipulations first. We carry out have three video games in Dubai after which one in Sharjah. We can wish to in actuality sail there, in actual fact feel the pitch, after which settle how and which bowlers and what combination we now wish to play.”
For Harmanpreet, this would perchance well be her ninth T20 World Cup, having performed in each version on narrative of the inaugural one in 2009. She stated she would tap into that experience to tackle the tension.
“I’ve performed so many World Cups and that experience and ambiance is entirely lots of to any bilateral series or any lots of tournament,” she stated. “I’m going with the the same excitement as I had when I was lovely a 19-365 days-passe. I lovely are seeking to pass there and admire myself. I do know now I genuinely have so grand experience with me.
“I do know what the tension is have and the draw I’ll tackle it. [It is about playing] with paunchy freedom and lovely no longer serious about what’s the consequence. Nonetheless if I’m going there and play freely and admire my cricket, I do know I will alternate a form of issues.”
S Sudarshanan is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo. @Sudarshanan7