"The Indian team finds another gear in global tournaments" - Former cricketer Ananya Upendran on India's World Cup chances
The Indian women's cricket team is gearing up for the 2023 World Cup, which commences in New Zealand on March 4. The Mithali-Raj led team will meet Pakistan on March 6 in their first match of the marquee tournament.
The Indian team, however, did not have a great start to their preparations for the World Cup. They lost the lone T20I and four ODIs before winning the fifth 50-over contest against New Zealand in a bilateral series.
However, India scraped through with a two-run win over South Africa in their first warm-up match to bring in some much-needed confidence. They will meet West Indies in another warm-up match before playing their first match against Pakistan.
Former domestic stalwart Ananya Upendran, who played for India A, Hyderabad, South Zone and Sikkim for more than 10 years, spoke exclusively to Sportskeeda about the Indian squad for the World Cup. She said although India have had the best preparations for the World Cup, the series against New Zealand offered the team a chance for more introspection.
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Ananya added that she hoped the team's ability to shift gears in important tournaments would hold them in good stead. She said:
"The Indian team has got plenty of talent. Although it is not the strongest squad to play in a World Cup, the team is capable of pulling it off. The Indian team, more often than not, finds another gear in global tournaments. Hopefully it puts them in good stead."
Matches against New Zealand gives India an advantage before World Cup
The former pacer opined that although India lost the five-match ODI series to New Zealand 1-4, the series offered scope for India to prepare themselves better. The Indian team could experiment with new batters, new plans and more.
"There are many positives to take away from the bilateral series against New Zealand. We are one of the best prepared teams going into the World Cup. The series against New Zealand gave us a sneak-peek of conditions, of how game plans can work, be altered, identify flaws and work on them. So that's a distinct advantage going into the World Cup," Ananya explained.
Weighing on the Indian squad for the World Cup, Upendran feels that the batting unit boasts a good mix of experience and fresh legs. However, she felt the bowling dep looked a tad inexperienced. She said:
"One of the advantages of this Indian team is that the younger crop, like Shefali Verma or Richa [Ghosh], come with a clean slate. They have no baggage. They can perform to the best of their abilities. There will be no fear of failure. The Indian team has got great potential with the batters."
Ananya added:
"We have match-winners who can single-handedly turn the match on their day. The combination of Mithali, Harman and Smriti is very versatile. They can help the younger crop more easily."
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She went on to say:
"The pace attack is slightly inexperienced, for a tournament like the World Cup. Of course, we have Jhulan [Ghoswami] who will be guiding them all the way. We have Deepti Sharma and Rajeshwari Gayakwad who have experience too."
Harmanpreet Kaur steps up at right time
The Indian team management would heave a sigh of relief after Harmanpreet Kaur scored a century against South Africa in a warm-up match. The versatile batter's form was on a downslide, with many experts questioning her place in the team.
The Indian vice-captain regained form with her first fifty-plus score in a year when she scored a 119-ball 114 in the fifth and final ODI against New Zealand. Her knock was laced with 11 boundaries.
Also read: Harmanpreet Kaur's fall from grace could be first step on her road to redemption
Ananya said although a big score from Kaur was long due, she had no doubt about the batter's abilities at any point.
"Yes, Harman was struggling to find form. What happened after that epic knock of 171 was that every knock of hers was getting compared to that. It was like a once-in-a-lifetime knock."
She added:
"In the series against South Africa, she was, by far, one of the best batters. Although she didn't top the run-scoring charts, the way she was timing the ball and the way she was scoring those runs were impressive. And for a batter like Harman, it is a matter of one innings before she finds form, confidence and rhythm and we hope the warm-up match against South Africa is that innings."
The Indian women's team will play West Indies in their second warm-up match and will meet Pakistan in their first match of the World Cup on March 6.
The showpiece event will utilize a round-robin format with all eight teams playing each other once. The top four teams will advance to the semi-finals and the final will be played on April 3.
Also read: Stats: India vs Pakistan in the Women's World Cup (ODI)