'We have been really inspired by the men's team' - Harmanpreet Kaur opens up on crossing final barrier in upcoming T20 World Cup

As the Women's T20 World Cup approaches is knocking on the door, Indian team skipper Harmanpreet Kaur is reuniting her team with a vision of success inspired by their male counterparts.

With the tournament set to begin in the UAE this October, Kaur's leadership could be the driving force behind India's quest for their maiden T20 World Cup title. The Indian men's cricket team recently ended a 17-year drought by clinching the T20 World Cup in June. This victory has sparked a motivation within the women's squad, who are yet to secure a T20 World Cup trophy. The closest they came to the trophy was in 2020 when they finished as runners-up in Australia. Kaur expressed her admiration for the men's team's recent triumph. 

"We have been really inspired by the men's team, the way they won the T20 World Cup this year. They worked really hard for this trophy and won some tough matches. We need to learn how they maintained their body language for such matches and how they approached such games. We're on the same road now and getting ready for our World Cup campaign. The team is working really hard and our attempt will be to give our country and fans another opportunity to celebrate this year," Harmanpreet said at an event in Delhi.

Also Read: India to play Pakistan on October 6, Bangladesh to host Scotland in tournament opener

We are working extremely hard to live up to those expectations: Harmanpreet Kaur

The women's team has come very close to international success in recent years. They narrowly missed out on the ODI World Cup in 2017, losing the final by just nine runs. In 2020, they reached the T20 World Cup final, and in 2022, they secured a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games. The right-hand batter also acknowledged the unique pressures of a World Cup tournament. 

"The World Cup is a kind of tournament for which all teams prepare differently. So no team can be taken lightly and similarly no team should be overestimated either. Bilateral series have a different kind of pressure and for World Cups, there is pressure as well as expectations and hopes of fans. We are working extremely hard to live up to those expectations, we have been holding camps where all players are working hard. We have also worked on the mistakes we made the last time. Now we're ready with a positive mindset," she added.

Notably, India are placed in Group A, along with the defending champions Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Pakistan, respectively. Their campaign kicks off on October 4 against the Kiwis, followed by crucial matches against their regional rivals.

Also Read: India announce squad for Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

India squad for Women's T20 World Cup

Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Yastika Bhatia* (wk), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, D Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil*, Sajeevan Sajana

Traveling reserves: Tanuja Kanwar, Uma Chetry, Saima Thakor.

Non-travelling reserves: Raghvi Bist, Priya Mishra