'Want to go there and try our combinations' - Harmanpreet Kaur addresses press ahead of Australia series

As the Indian Women's Cricket Team is preparing for the three-match ODI series against Australia, captain Harmanpreet Kaur opened up on the combinations to fine-tune the squad for next year’s ICC Women's ODI World Cup. The team’s first ODI is scheduled to take place at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane on Thursday.

The mighty Aussies have dominated recent clashes, winning nine of their last ten ODIs against India. Despite this, Harmanpreet emphasized that every match is an opportunity to test new combinations and strategies. 

"Well, all the games are important for us and we just want to go there and try our combinations and see whoever is doing well and giving them more opportunity," she said at the pre-match press conference.

Want to give upcoming players a chance and see whoever is the best: Harmanpreet Kaur

India's focus is to identify players who can perform in home conditions next year. She pointed out that the series is not only about performing well but also about evaluating players for the World Cup. 

Also Read: Australia Women vs India Women Match Preview, 1st ODI

“At the same time, the upcoming players who are doing really well, we want to give them a chance and see whoever is the best and then, you know, keeping World Cup in the mind and, you know, all those players who can do well in the home conditions will just look to pick those players when we are playing the World Cup,” she added.

One of the significant changes for India in this series is the introduction of a new opening combination. Shafali Verma, who has struggled this year with only 108 runs in six ODIs at an average of 18, has been dropped. Additionally, Yastika Bhatia is unavailable due to a wrist injury, leaving Priya Punia as the other top-order batter alongside the fresh opening combination.

The team will also be looking at younger players to see who can step up and make an impact on the field. India’s recent success in ODIs, including a 2-1 series win over New Zealand in October, has given the team confidence.