ICC Women's T20 World Cup: Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian team leaves for UAE

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side has left for ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 which is all set to take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In Short

• The Indian team leaves for the UAE to participate in Women's T20 World Cup
• Indian team is gearing up to face New Zealand in their opening match
• Harmanpreet Kaur leads a confident squad aiming for first T20 World Cup title

The Indian Women's National Cricket Team, led by experienced captain Harmanpreet Kaur, has left for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to participate in the highly anticipated ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024. The Indian team is gearing up to face New Zealand in their opening match, with high hopes of a successful campaign.

With the squad in good form and confidence running high, the Women in Blue are aiming to break their string of close finishes and capture their first-ever T20 World Cup title. India has historically fallen short in major tournaments, most recently at the 2023 edition in South Africa, where they lost in the semi-finals to eventual champions Australia. Reflecting on these past disappointments, Harmanpreet Kaur expressed optimism, emphasizing that the team has prepared thoroughly this time around.

"If I talk about this team, we have a few players who have been playing for a long time and they know their roles really well," Harmanpreet said at the pre-departure press conference in Mumbai. "I can say that this is the best team we are going for a T20 World Cup with.

"Pooja [Vastrakar] is doing well and Renuka [Singh] is supporting her really well. She [Renuka] is someone who is always giving us breakthroughs. Arundhati [Reddy] is someone who can always come and bowl a few overs for the team and bat in the deep. I can't compare our bowling line-up with other teams because every team has its own positives and negatives, but I'm quite confident in my team. I know what they are doing and what they are capable of."

"During the Asia Cup, we played really good cricket, if I talk about the entire tournament," Harmanpreet said. "It was just one odd game that day when things didn't go according to the way we wanted. We sat and discussed how we wanted to work on our shortcomings in the camps and where we can improve if next time these kinds of situations arise."

Despite not having played competitive international cricket since their loss to Sri Lanka in the Women's Asia Cup final in July, the Indian team has undergone rigorous preparations at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Fielding and fitness were key areas of focus during the preparatory camp, ensuring that the players are in peak condition for the tournament.

India squad for Women's T20 World Cup: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia (subject to fitness), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajana Sajeevan