The Indian women’s cricket team is in the spotlight once again, but this time, it’s not just for their on-field performances but also for the behind-the-scenes events. Right after playing an ODI against Australia in Perth on Thursday (December 12), India Women is already back in action, facing the West Indies in Navi Mumbai on Sunday (December 15) evening in a T20I match.
The back-to-back games have sparked conversations about the tight scheduling of their home T20I series. Notably, the Indian women’s cricket team will be hosting West Indies Women in a three-match T20I series as well as in the three-match ODI series, starting with the first T20I in Mumbai on Sunday.
Harmanpreet Kaur avoids explaining Shafali Verma’s exclusion from India’s T20I squad
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Women’s Selection Committee has already announced India’s 15-member squad for the white-ball series against the West Indies, and the girls would love to return to winning ways after being whitewashed by Australia in the recent ODI series.
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India’s recent 0-3 ODI series loss to Australia was a big blow to their ICC Women’s Championship hopes. Now, the Indian women’s cricket team will have to bounce back by earning crucial points in upcoming matches against the West Indies and Ireland.
Well, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur found herself dodging tricky questions about explosive opener Shafali Verma’s surprising exclusion from the T20I squad. When asked about the decision, Harmanpreet tactfully deflected, suggesting the matter should be addressed by the right people. “I’m not the right person to answer this question..you can ask the right person,” she said.
I’m not the right person to answer this question..you can ask the right person…Indian womens team captain Harmanpreet Kaur evades tough questions on explosive opener Shafali Verma’s exclusion from the T20 side, poor scheduling of home T20I series vs west Indies
— Gaurav Gupta (@toi_gauravG) December 14, 2024
It’s really tough when you’re going through this patch: Harmanpreet Kaur
However, India Women’s captain admitted that it’s been “really tough” for her team to face the West Indies in the T20Is, especially after being whitewashed by Australia in the ODI.
Harmanpreet Kaur acknowledged that the team is going through a challenging phase but emphasized that they can only focus on the positive achievements from the past ahead of the West Indies series.
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Harmanpreet Kaur was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo: “It’s really tough when you’re going through this patch. At the same time, we can only talk about the good things we have done in the past. I think having team-bonding sessions is very important.
“So, when we were coming back from Australia, we had good talks on the flight because that was the only time we could talk and think about how we can start this series. Yesterday was a good off day, and today we had a good meeting where we discussed how we have to go about this particular series.”
Success lies in individual performer’s mindset: Harmanpreet Kaur
The Indian skipper also believes that the key to success lies in the right mindset. She pointed out that the Indian team has talented players who have performed well whenever given the chance, but it’s all about how players approach the game mentally and how they handle the pressure.
Kaur has stressed that success ultimately comes down to how each player deals with the situation on the field. She signed off by saying, “We discuss whatever is required to win but, at the end of the day, it’s the individual performer’s mindset, about how you are going to win the game for the team.”
