Harmanpreet Kaur reveals she revisits her 171-run knock against Australia during tough situations
Indian T20 skipper Harmanpreet Kaur is focused on the tri-series tournament against Australia and England that worked as a dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup which will start in 10 days' time. Kaur revealed that in order to motivate herself and give her mental strength, she always recalls her fantastic innings of 171 against Australia in the semi-final of the 2017 Women's World Cup.
“That innings is very close to my heart, and it will keep motivating and inspiring me to do well in future. On tough days, I always recall that innings, and after watching it again, it makes me feel better,” Kaur was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
Kaur felt that playing strong teams like Australia and England would help team India to understand their best team combination depending on the conditions. With their opening game of the T20 World Cup against Australia on February 21, Kaur believed the series was a great chance of getting the players back in good touch.
“When the opposition is good, you can definitely improve as a team and put yourself in different situations to learn how to handle pressure. In that sense we are using the Tri-series to brush up certain areas and try to be more calculative in all departments,” Kaur asserted.
One of the big positives for India has been the opening stand between Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma. Kaur explained how young Verma's hard-hitting ability helps Mandhana to play her natural game.
“Shafali gives great freedom to Smriti (Mandhana) to play her natural game. The day Shafali clicks, the team is on the front foot. I want to tell her she is someone who has to keep working on her game because she is not someone who is ordinary," Kaur stated.