NEW DELHI: Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, emphasized the significance of maintaining a positive team environment as they prepare to face Pakistan in their opening match of the women’s Asia Cup.
India, the current title holders, will begin their quest for an unprecedented eighth Asia Cup victory when they face their arch-rivals in Dambulla on Friday.
Kaur, in an interview with Star Sports, discussed her responsibilities as the team’s leader. She highlighted the importance of fostering a healthy atmosphere within the dressing room, where all players feel at ease and are encouraged to openly express their emotions with one another.
Kaur believes that such an environment directly contributes to the team’s improved performance on the field.
“A good atmosphere within the dressing room, where everyone is comfortable and willing to share feelings with each other, betters the team’s on-field performance,” Kaur stated, emphasizing the link between team camaraderie and success in matches.
“I feel like there should be such an atmosphere in the team that everyone enjoys each other’s company, and can share their feelings with each other. And when the atmosphere is like that, the team’s performance becomes good as well,” ANI quoted the Indian skipper as saying.
“So, my motive as a leader is that all of us feel comfortable with each other. And when you do not enjoy it, you feel like you have to go and play with players who you are not comfortable with. But if you feel like you are going to play with your friends and make the team win, that feeling is different. So we want an atmosphere where everyone is happy, supporting each other and the results are good as well. So I think as a leader that is my motive, that everyone talks well to each other, enjoys each other’s company and whenever there are hard times, they support each other. So those things are very important for me as a leader,” she added.
In the lead-up to the Women’s Asia Cup, the Indian women’s team has been in impressive form, securing notable victories in recent months. In June-July, they triumphed over South Africa, winning the ODI series 3-0 and the one-off Test match. The three-match T20I series ended in a 1-1 draw, with one game being abandoned due to inclement weather.
Prior to their success against South Africa, India had a dominant tour of Bangladesh from April to May, where they swept the hosts 5-0 in the T20I series.
Between December of the previous year and January, India hosted Australia for a multi-format series comprising a one-off Test, three ODIs, and three T20Is.
While India emerged victorious in the Test match, they suffered defeats in the ODI series (0-3) and the T20I series (1-2). These series and tournaments will serve as vital preparation for India as they gear up for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup being held this year from October 3-20 in Bangladesh, where the team will be striving to secure their maiden major ICC women’s trophy
India’s Women’s Asia Cup squad: India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajana Sajeevan.
Travelling reserves: Shweta Sehrawat, Saika Ishaque, Tanuja Kanwer, Meghna Singh.
India, the current title holders, will begin their quest for an unprecedented eighth Asia Cup victory when they face their arch-rivals in Dambulla on Friday.
Kaur, in an interview with Star Sports, discussed her responsibilities as the team’s leader. She highlighted the importance of fostering a healthy atmosphere within the dressing room, where all players feel at ease and are encouraged to openly express their emotions with one another.
Kaur believes that such an environment directly contributes to the team’s improved performance on the field.
“A good atmosphere within the dressing room, where everyone is comfortable and willing to share feelings with each other, betters the team’s on-field performance,” Kaur stated, emphasizing the link between team camaraderie and success in matches.
“I feel like there should be such an atmosphere in the team that everyone enjoys each other’s company, and can share their feelings with each other. And when the atmosphere is like that, the team’s performance becomes good as well,” ANI quoted the Indian skipper as saying.
“So, my motive as a leader is that all of us feel comfortable with each other. And when you do not enjoy it, you feel like you have to go and play with players who you are not comfortable with. But if you feel like you are going to play with your friends and make the team win, that feeling is different. So we want an atmosphere where everyone is happy, supporting each other and the results are good as well. So I think as a leader that is my motive, that everyone talks well to each other, enjoys each other’s company and whenever there are hard times, they support each other. So those things are very important for me as a leader,” she added.
In the lead-up to the Women’s Asia Cup, the Indian women’s team has been in impressive form, securing notable victories in recent months. In June-July, they triumphed over South Africa, winning the ODI series 3-0 and the one-off Test match. The three-match T20I series ended in a 1-1 draw, with one game being abandoned due to inclement weather.
Prior to their success against South Africa, India had a dominant tour of Bangladesh from April to May, where they swept the hosts 5-0 in the T20I series.
Between December of the previous year and January, India hosted Australia for a multi-format series comprising a one-off Test, three ODIs, and three T20Is.
While India emerged victorious in the Test match, they suffered defeats in the ODI series (0-3) and the T20I series (1-2). These series and tournaments will serve as vital preparation for India as they gear up for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup being held this year from October 3-20 in Bangladesh, where the team will be striving to secure their maiden major ICC women’s trophy
India’s Women’s Asia Cup squad: India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Uma Chetry (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajana Sajeevan.
Travelling reserves: Shweta Sehrawat, Saika Ishaque, Tanuja Kanwer, Meghna Singh.
