India has reached the Women’s One-Day International (ODI) World Cup final twice — in 2005 and 2017 — but the title has eluded it both times.
As the Women in Blue gear up for another International Cricket Council (ICC) event, beginning at home from September 30, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur hopes to break the title jinx this time around.
“Playing in front of a home crowd is always special, and hopefully, this time we will give our 100 per cent and finally break that barrier that all Indian fans are waiting for.
“World Cups are always special, and we always want to do something special for my country,” said Harmanpreet, on the sidelines of the 50-day countdown event for the World Cup, here on Monday.
Coming on the back of a 2-1 ODI series win against England, India’s team composition looks sorted. And Harmanpreet believes the three-match ODI series against Australia, leading up to the tournament, will only aid the team’s conviction.
“Playing against Australia is always challenging, and we get to know what our standing is. The series will give us a lot of confidence. We have been putting a lot of effort into our training camps and the results are showing,” she said.
After finishing as runner-up in the 2005 World Cup, India finished third in 2009 and seventh in 2013. However, in 2017, it came agonisingly close to clinching the title, before losing the final to England at Lord’s.
That tournament gave Indian women’s cricket a much-needed boost: Harmanpreet smashed a 171 in the semifinal against Australia – an innings she admits to be one of her finest knocks — and a second appearance in the final inspired the next generations.
“That knock was something really special to me and women’s cricket (in India). A lot of things changed for me after that knock. When we came back to India, even though we had lost, a lot of people were waiting and cheering for us. I still get goosebumps,” she said.
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Smriti Mandhana added, “The amount of girls playing cricket is massive, and a lot of it has to do with how things have gone in the last eight years.
“A lot of credit goes to the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) as well. We are fortunate to be a part of the movement for women’s cricket.”
Smriti hoped that the massive support from home fans could inspire India to create history in this year’s World Cup.
“For us as a team, we are preparing really well. We had preparatory camps, an amazing England tour and as an Indian team. We know our fans will come and support us. We are doing the best we can for the fans, and the rest takes care of itself,” she added.
Jemimah Rodrigues, meanwhile, discussed her individual preparation, saying, “A lot has changed with my preparation and mindset — I want to have a lot of confidence coming from it, and that gives me clarity.”
The event also had former India captain Mithali Raj, former India men’s international Yuvraj Singh, ICC chairman Jay Shah and the BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia in attendance, who backed the team to bring the trophy home on November 2.
