Mumbai: India captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Monday said her team is determined to end its ICC trophy drought at the ODI Women’s World Cup beginning next month and the preceding series against title favourites Australia will give the side a clear picture of where it stands heading into the mega event at home.
India have never won a world title despite coming close on a few occasions including the 2017 ODI World Cup in England where they finished runners’ up to capture the country’s imagination.
“We want to break that barrier which all Indians are waiting for. World Cups are always special, always want to do special for my country. Whenever I see Yuvi bhaiya (Yuvraj Singh) it gives me a lot of motivation,” Harmanpreet said at the trophy unveiling ceremony for the ODI World Cup.
Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh and Harmanpreet’s teammmates were also part of the function.
India go into the Australia series at home, starting September 14, high on confidence having got the better of England in their own backyard in both ODI and T20 format. The World Cup starts September 30.
“Playing against Australia is always challenging and we get to know what is our standing. The series (three ODIs vs Australia) will give us a lot of confidence. We have been putting a lot of effort in our training camps and the results are showing,” said Harmanpreet.
Her match-winning 171 in the semifinal against Australia back in 2017 remains fresh in Harmanpreet’s mind.
“That knock was something really special to me and entire women’s cricket. A lot of things changed for me after that knock. When we came back to India, even though we had lost, a lot of people were waiting and cheering for us. I still get goosebumps,” she added.
