Mithali Raj-led Team India will take on defending champions England in their fourth game of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 on Wednesday (March 16). The clash is a rematch of the 2017 Women’s World Cup final which India heartbreakingly lost to England.
This time around England women’s team are in a desperate position, having lost the first three games of their campaign – the latest being a defeat at the hands of South Africa on Monday (March 14). India, on the other hand, have won two games against Pakistan and West Indies and lost one to hosts New Zealand.
One of the biggest factors for India’s massive win over West Indies women in the last game were centuries from the willows of Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur. The team is especially delighted with the form of vice-captain Harmanpreet, who scored her first ODI century in the last match since the brilliant 171 not out in the 2017 World Cup semifinal against Australia. Now the ‘momentum’ is with Team India and Harmanpreet heading into their important clash against England.
“There is thought of revenge on our mind. If you look at the overall record, we started the last World Cup also with a win over England. It is all about the momentum and that is with us right now. It is important for the team to stay in this moment and not to think about the past,” Harmanpreet said during the pre-match virtual media conference on Tuesday (March 15).
This #TeamIndia duo had a lot of questions for each other & we tried to get all the answers from them.
To watch @mandhana_smriti & @ImHarmanpreet discuss about their epic #CWC22 partnership against the West Indies, click below #WIvIND https://t.co/7PP7o9Uf06 pic.twitter.com/LmJmTodA1l
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) March 13, 2022
Harmanpreet is the player in form for India, having scored a whirlwind fifty against New Zealand followed by a century in the last game. “I always want to give my best whenever I go out there in the middle. Sometime it works and other times it doesn’t. The best thing for the side was to play in an ODI series in New Zealand before the World Cup. It got us the momentum and helped us get used to these conditions,” the 33-year-old all-rounder added.
“It is important to stay relaxed and enjoy the moment. I believe enjoying the game helps you perform better,” she added.
Asked what weakness in the England side the Indian team will look to exploit, Harmanpreet said, “For us it is important to focus on the way we performed in the last match. We have identified small areas we need to improve after the last game and instead of England’s weakness we’ll concentrate on our own team.”
