There should be such atmosphere in team where everyone enjoys each other's company: Harmanpreet Kaur

India women skipper Harmanpreet Kaur opened up on team atmosphere and her role in maintaining a positive room as a leader. Kaur added how bonds among the players can actually affect the team's performance on the field and hence it is important to keep it positive and calm.

Speaking exclusively to Star Sports, Indian women’s cricket team Captain Harmanpreet Kaur spoke on her role as leader of the side. She said “I feel like there should be such an atmosphere in the team that everyone enjoys each other's company, and can share their feelings with each other. And when the atmosphere is like that, the team's performance becomes good as well. So that is my motive as a leader that all of us feel comfortable with each other. And when you don't enjoy it, you feel like you've to go and play with players who you're not comfortable with. But if you feel like you're going to play with your friends and make the team win, that feeling is different.

"So we want an atmosphere where everyone is happy, supporting each other and the results are good as well. So I think as a leader, my motive is that everyone talks well to each other, enjoys each other's company and whenever there are hard times, they support each other. So those things are very important for me as a leader.”

India cricketer Renuka Singh talked about her mindset while bowling, her focus areas, and the players who have inspired her. She said, "I just focus on bowling a good ball. I don't think about the wicket. I just think about hitting the ball in a good area because you get the wicket automatically. I think about how I can bowl my over, and when there are a lot of dot balls, you also get the wickets automatically. My aim is always to hit the ball in a good area. My inspiration has always been Zaheer Khan, and I have followed Zaheer Khan a lot. There is one domestic player, Harpreet. Actually, when I came here for the first time, I saw her bowling. So, I thought, I also want to become like her. She was also a good inswinger. So, when I saw her for the first time, I felt that I had to bowl such good balls."

India star cricketer Smriti Mandhana spoke about her risk calculation and shot selection in the game. She added how she plays according to the merit of the ball and keeps it very simple while being on the field.

Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana discussed her mindset, risk calculation in the game, and more ahead of the Women's Asia Cup. She said, "My mindset is just to play according to the merit of the ball. Sometimes you bat first or you bat second. Definitely, when you bat second, you have that score in front of you, and you can calculate your risks, and you can go for it. In the first innings, I feel in T20, it's a bit of a disadvantage that you don't know what you have to get to. But I think not to complicate it too much, just play according to the merit of the ball. It's very simple, just keep it simple. I feel like that."