Harmanpreet Kaur draws inspiration from men's team as India gears up for Women's T20 World Cup

Harmanpreet Kaur is leading the Indian women’s cricket team into the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup in October, with hopes of securing their first-ever ICC title. The team has come close several times in the past decade, finishing as runners-up in the 2017 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup and the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup, along with other strong performances in ICC events. However, they are still in pursuit of the trophy.

Drawing inspiration from the Indian men’s team, who broke their own title drought earlier this year by winning the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup under Rohit Sharma’s leadership, Harmanpreet is determined to replicate that success for the women's side. The men’s team ended a ten-year wait for an ICC title, having last won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.

"We have been really inspired by the men's team, the way they won the T20 World Cup this year. 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," Harmanpreet said.

“The team is working really hard and our attempt will be to give our country and fans another opportunity to celebrate this year," she further added.

India’s women’s team is in Group A for the upcoming tournament, along with Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. With only the top two teams advancing to the knockout stages, India faces a tough challenge. Their final group match against Australia is expected to be a crucial one, and they will also need to be wary of Sri Lanka, who recently defeated them in the Women’s Asia Cup Final.

Harmanpreet acknowledged the pressure of playing in a World Cup, emphasizing the importance of preparation and managing expectations. 

"The World Cup is a kind of tournament for which all teams prepare differently. 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," she stated.

The Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 kicks off on 3 October, with India beginning their campaign on 4 October against New Zealand in Dubai. They will stay in Dubai to face Pakistan on 6 October and Sri Lanka on 9 October before heading to Sharjah for their final group-stage match against Australia on 13 October.