"It is something we as a team have been striving for" - Harmanpreet Kaur backs Team India to win the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup
Team India women's team skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur, has sent out a strong message ahead of the squad's departure to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the 2024 Women's World Cup. The Women in Blue have made it to the knockout stages in each of the last three editions of the tournament, but silverware continues to elude them.
Despite their recent stumble in the 2024 Women's Asia Cup final in Sri Lanka, India have had a relatively solid year when it comes to the shortest format. They were involved in a competitive series against the likes of Australia and South Africa at home, and even recorded a comprehensive series win over Bangladesh.
The inception of the Women's Premier League (WPL) has molded the players in better shape as they look to end the Australia-England duopoly in women's cricket.
Harmanpreet Kaur asserted that the team is driven to work towards the task of winning the silverware while also inspiring the younger generation through their journey.
"There is no shortage of ambition and drive in this team, and we will leave no stone unturned as we look to make a mark and go the distance, playing a fearless brand of cricket.The expectation is straightforward: to bring glory to the country and our supporters who back us to the hilt, no matter which part of the world we play in," Harmanpreet Kaur said, according to a media release by the ICC.
"Every member of the team looks at the Women’s T20 World Cup, in addition to every match we play, as an opportunity to put our best foot forward collectively and inspire the young and aspiring cricketers across. Our expectation is to win the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. It is something we as a team have been striving for, for a while, and lifting the trophy will remain our goal," the skipper added.
The 2024 Women's T20 World Cup was originally slated to take place in Bangladesh. However, the tournament was shifted to the UAE due to the recent political unrest in the subcontinent nation.
"The team has the pedigree and what it takes to shine on the biggest stage" - Harmanpreet Kaur
As mentioned earlier, the team has had several near misses when it comes to ICC events in recent times. In this particular competition, after a dismal campaign at home in the 2016 edition, India made it to the semi-finals of the 2018 edition in the West Indies, only to lose to England in the knockout clash.
In 2020, they went one step further to make it to the final. However, they were unable to thwart the mighty Women in Yellow in their own backyard. In the most recent 2023 edition in South Africa, it was once again the Meg Lanning-led side that was responsible for India's elimination in the semi-final stage after a thrilling encounter.
Harmanpreet Kaur opted to view the run of near misses as a positive, highlighting the consistency and the calibre of the team to have deep runs in tournaments.
"It is our team’s dream to win this coveted trophy, and I feel, as a team, we have what it takes to lift the trophy. We made it to the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup final in Australia and came tantalisingly close to reaching the final in the previous edition in South Africa in 2023. It makes it clear that the team has the pedigree and what it takes to shine on the biggest stage," Harmanpreet added.
Team India have been drawn alongside New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in Group A of the Women's T20 World Cup 2024.