Harmanpreet confident of team’s chances at the World Cup

Coach Muzumdar stresses on the intense preparations and is confident of the team’s chances, while crediting sports psychologist Mughda Bavare as a valuable addition to the support staff

The last time India’s women cricketers played in an international match may have been two months ago. Having worked on the team and the individuals, captain Harmanpreet Kaur and head coach Amol Muzumdar stressed in unison that the squad was ready to achieve its ultimate objective of a World Cup triumph next month.

“For us, preparation matters a lot. We want to win the World Cup and we are looking for positive results. But at the same time, process matters a lot and in the last couple of weeks, we have really worked hard and are looking forward for the World Cup,” Harmanpreet said here on Tuesday, hours before the squad’s scheduled departure to United Arab Emirates for the T20 World Cup. The women’s T20 World Cup – having been moved from Bangladesh to UAE due to internal issues in Bangladesh – will be played from October 4 to 24.

Muzumdar concurred. “As far as preparations are concerned, we are absolutely prepared for anything and everything. All I can say is that we are ready to fly to Dubai.”

Despite being a regular in the knockouts in World Cup of both the formats, India’s women are yet to emerge triumphant in a World Cup. Perhaps in a bid to break the knockouts hoodoo, renowned sports psychologist Mugdha Bavare was roped in during the preparatory camp in Bengaluru.

Harmanpreet explained that the sessions with Bavare focused on delivering as a team, while Muzumdar added that Bavare’s previous stints with the women’s squad helped a great deal.

With India’s last international game being played in July in Sri Lanka, Muzumdar stated that the last 15-day camp with five warm-games have helped the girls be match-ready.

“We had five games in 10 days, so if you ask for game-time, we have ticked that box. And we played some very competitive games. There were different oppositions, there were different skill-sets that were chosen for those particular games. So as far as game time is concerned, I think we are on it.”

Published - September 25, 2024 03:52 am IST