Mumbai, Aug 11 (IANS) After losing the finals of the 2017 edition and finishing fifth in 2022, India women’s team captain Harmanpreet Kaur, her deputy Smriti Mandhana, and top batter Jemimah Rodrigues know that hopes and aspirations can run into major hurdles in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup.
So, they are not talking big on the upcoming 2025 edition of the competitions, but are confident of giving their 100 per cent in the event, which India will be co-hosting with its neighbour, Sri Lanka.
Though this will be the fourth time that India will be hosting the event, the players are aware that things are different from the previous occasions and of how the game has transformed both on the field and off-field too.
The 2017 edition, in which India lost to England in the final, has really galvanised women’s cricket in India, with the team getting a grand reception despite the heartbreaking defeat. The Women’s Premier League (WPL) has further boosted the stature of the women’s game in the country, and the upcoming games in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup are expected to attract huge crowds when the matches are played in Bengaluru, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, Indore, and Colombo in Sri Lanka.
The Indian players are hoping to feed on this groundswell of support from their fans and hope to go all the way.
Both skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana spoke about how important the fans’ support will be for them and said they will try to feed on that to go all the way.
“Playing in front of the home crowd, that is always special, and hopefully you know this time we will give 100%,” said Harmanpreet Kaur
Smriti Mandhana concurred with her skipper and said the fans’ blessings will mean a lot to all of them.
“The World Cup is at home, and I know the fans are going to be there. I just want to tell them that I just hope that you all come in large numbers to support us.
“We don’t have to tell it, you all will come, and your blessings mean the world to us, and that’s all we need. We promise you that the Indian women’s cricket team will give its heart and soul out during the World Cup. We will do whatever we can to get the desired result,” said Mandhana.
Harman is also reminded of her sensational knock of 171 not out off 115 balls against the mighty Australia in the semifinal that paved the way for India’s 36-run win and sealed a place in the final.
“I mean, that match was really special to me and special to the entire women’s cricket. A lot of things changed, personally in my life and especially in women’s cricket, also because at that time I didn’t really realise what happened, because at that time I was totally off from social media.
“But we came back to India, and even though we lost the World Cup, you know, the number of people who are waiting for us to welcome us, I think that was something very special. I think that was a very special feeling,” said Harman, who will be playing her fifth ODI World Cup.
Jemimah, too, has fond memories of the 2017 World Cup, but from the other side of the rope — as a fan, reaching the Mumbai airport at 5.30 am along with her Mumbai U-18 teammates to welcome the team.
“I remember that all these people, they were very tired and at the same time disappointed because they were so close, yet it felt like so far. And they walked out of the airport thinking that nobody was going to be there. But at 5:30 AM the Mumbai airport was packed with media and crowds. People right now would think that’s normal. But at that time, for women’s sport, it wasn’t,” she said.
This will be the first ODI World Cup for Jemimah Rodrigues, and the batter said she was looking forward to it. Harman, Smriti, and Jemimah said they will be taking a lot of confidence from their recent series triumph in England, when they won both the T20I and ODI series.
“Well, we were not surprised with the results because we knew, you know. The kind of preparation we have done, we knew that we could do this easily.
“I think that was something we have been working really hard for. But I think at the same time we kept things very simple and we knew that, you know, if we play cricket we can easily win any series or any. We were only talking about what more we can win or how we can improve ourselves.
“So, I think for us that was not something, you know, we have done something great because it was now our teams and we don’t want to keep doing those things again and again. One of those series where all the experienced players, the big match players, all stood up individually,” said Harmanpreet.
The players will soon get into preparation mode as the trophy will go on a tour of all the venues in Delhi and Mumbai. The ICC will, for the first time, also take it to some schools to help the next generation of talent get a feel of the World Cup.
–IANS
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