With the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup set to get underway in England, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur believes her side has gained valuable momentum from its warm-up fixtures and is ready to embrace the challenges that lie ahead. Despite a narrow defeat to hosts England in their final practice match in Cardiff, the Indian skipper remains optimistic about her team’s preparations as they turn their focus towards a highly anticipated opening clash against Pakistan in Birmingham.
India’s final warm-up encounter offered a glimpse of both the strengths and areas for improvement within the squad. Chasing a competitive target set by England, India fell short by just five runs in a closely fought contest. While the result did not go India’s way, the performance of wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh emerged as one of the biggest positives ahead of the tournament.
The 22-year-old produced a stunning innings under pressure, showcasing her power-hitting ability and composure in the middle order. Her aggressive half-century nearly carried India to victory and reinforced her growing importance within the batting lineup. Reflecting on the team’s preparations, Harmanpreet highlighted the confidence gained from the warm-up matches and praised Ghosh’s ability to influence games single-handedly.
“We are really looking forward to that (Pakistan match),” Harmanpreet said after the loss to England. “These two practice games have given us a lot of confidence and even today, even though we lost the game, but how Richa batted and I think that’s a big positive for us. That’s a big belief that if we stay on the pitch, we can turn the game anytime and I think these two (warm-up) games have given a lot of confidence and hopefully we’ll play our fearless cricket on our first game.”
India enters the tournament with a blend of experienced campaigners and exciting young talent. Harmanpreet, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Shafali Verma form the core of a squad that has consistently competed among the world’s leading teams in recent years. The team’s preparations have also been boosted by encouraging bowling performances during the warm-up phase.
India’s pace and spin attack managed to trouble England’s strong batting lineup, providing valuable confidence ahead of the group-stage campaign. With conditions in England often assisting bowlers, India will be hoping their attack can play a decisive role throughout the tournament.
While pleased with several aspects of the team’s performance, Harmanpreet acknowledged that improvements are still needed, particularly in building partnerships through the middle overs. Against England, multiple batters managed starts but were unable to convert them into substantial contributions. The captain felt the lack of sustained partnerships ultimately proved costly in the chase.
“It’s about partnerships and I think we missed the chance and only Richa and a few other players were there to get a few partnerships,” Harmanpreet noted. “In T20 cricket, if you want to win you have to get a few partnerships in the middle overs and today we missed that. But it was good to see how Richa batted today.”
India’s opening fixture against Pakistan carries added significance given the history and intensity associated with the rivalry. Although India have generally enjoyed success against Pakistan in ICC women’s events, both teams will understand the importance of starting their World Cup campaign on a winning note.
The match at Edgbaston is expected to draw significant attention from fans around the world. India will be looking to continue their strong record against Pakistan, while their rivals will be eager to produce an upset on one of cricket’s biggest stages.
For Harmanpreet, the tournament also represents another opportunity to guide India towards a long-awaited ICC trophy. The Indian captain has led the side through several memorable campaigns, including the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup final and the 2022 Commonwealth Games silver-medal run. However, an ICC title has remained elusive.
The current squad enters the competition with growing belief and a clear objective. The emergence of match-winners such as Richa Ghosh, combined with the experience of senior players, has strengthened India’s hopes of making a deep run in the tournament.
As the countdown to the Pakistan clash continues, India will take confidence from their encouraging warm-up performances and the fighting spirit displayed against England. While there are areas to refine, Harmanpreet’s side appears determined to begin its World Cup journey with the fearless brand of cricket that the captain believes can take them all the way.
