Harmanpreet Kaur Leads Team India in Women’s T20 World Cup 2024
India’s women’s cricket team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, is gearing up for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, which will be held in the UAE starting early next month. Harmanpreet, who made her T20I debut in 2009, has scored 3,426 runs in 173 matches. She emphasized the importance of mental strength, especially in the final overs of the game.
Harmanpreet said, “We have been working on mental strength for a long time. The last 3-4 overs are the most crucial. T20 cricket is not a small format; at the end of the day, you are playing 40 overs. In the last 4-5 overs, the team that is mentally strong wins the match. We have been focusing on this for a while. If we can remain mentally stable in those final 5 overs, we can execute what’s best for us. We are working on those aspects, and hopefully, we will overcome this hurdle in the tournament.”
India has named their squad for the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup, starting on October 3. India will kickstart their campaign against New Zealand on October 4, with the arch-rivals Pakistan clash set for October 6. The Women in Blue, who reached the semi-finals in the previous edition, is placed in Group A of the competition along with Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
In the T20 WC last year, Australia defeated South Africa at their home by 19 runs to win their sixth title. Meanwhile, India made it to the semifinals, losing to the Aussies by five runs.
Squad
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Harmanpreet Kaur (c) | Captain |
| Smriti Mandhana (vc) | Vice-Captain |
| Shafali Verma | Player |
| Deepti Sharma | Player |
| Jemimah Rodrigues | Player |
| Richa Ghosh (wk) | Wicketkeeper |
| Yastika Bhatia (wk) | Wicketkeeper |
| Pooja Vastrakar | Player |
| Arundhati Reddy | Player |
| Renuka Singh | Player |
| Dayalan Hemalatha | Player |
| Asha Sobhana | Player |
| Radha Yadav | Player |
| Shreyanka Patil | Player |
| Sajana Sajeevan | Player |
Traveling Reserves
- Uma Chetry (wk)
- Tanuja Kanwer
- Saima Thakor
Non-Travelling Reserves
- Raghvi Bist
- Priya Mishra
Doubts Revealed
Harmanpreet Kaur -: Harmanpreet Kaur is a famous Indian cricketer and the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team. She is known for her powerful batting and leadership skills.
Women’s T20 World Cup -: The Women’s T20 World Cup is a cricket tournament where teams from different countries compete in a shorter format of the game called T20, which means each team plays 20 overs.
UAE -: UAE stands for the United Arab Emirates, a country in the Middle East. It is known for its modern cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Mental strength -: Mental strength means being strong in your mind. In sports, it helps players stay focused and calm, especially during tough moments in the game.
Final overs -: Final overs are the last few overs in a cricket match. These are very important because they can decide the outcome of the game.
Smriti Mandhana -: Smriti Mandhana is a well-known Indian cricketer. She is famous for her excellent batting skills and has won many matches for India.
Shafali Verma -: Shafali Verma is a young and talented Indian cricketer. She is known for her aggressive batting style and has set many records at a young age.
Deepti Sharma -: Deepti Sharma is an Indian cricketer who is good at both batting and bowling. She is an important player for the Indian team.
Semi-final finish -: A semi-final finish means that the team reached the semi-final stage of the tournament but did not make it to the final match. It is still a good achievement.
Arch-rivals -: Arch-rivals are teams or players who have a long history of competing against each other. In cricket, India and Pakistan are considered arch-rivals.
