A forced eight-day break might affect India’s rhythm going into the Women’s T20 World Cup final on Sunday but the team is ready to play in front of a record crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, said India captain Harmanpreet Kaur. The crucial semi-final between India and England was washed out on Thursday and by the virtue of finishing as the table topper, India reached their maiden T20 World Cup final.
India had defeated the hosts and the defending champion Australia in the tournament opener, then Bangladesh, New Zealand and also Sri Lanka in their last game on Saturday. After that, the semifinal washout, which meant the team haven’t played for the last eight days and Harmanpreet Kaur is worried for the team as they have been ‘restless’.
“We haven’t been outdoors much and we didn’t manage to play the important game against England,” said Kaur on the eve of the final against record four-time champions Australia.
“We were all in touch and doing indoor training, but it doesn’t give you full confidence because the surface is totally different. Everyone was in good touch and thinking about what they can do for the team.”
The final is going to be huge as more than 75,000 tickets have been sold for the finals and Harmanpreet Kaur said they will look to enjoy the big stage and play positive cricket as well as this is the first time they will play in front of the 90,000 people in the stadium. However, the India team played a full packed stadium in the 2017 Cricket World Cup Final against England at Lord’s where India eventually lost by 9 runs.
Although India had started their campaign by beating Australia by 17 runs in the opening match of the tournament Harmanpreet Kaur said it would be a fresh start to both the teams in the important final as she thinks they have to start afresh from the very first ball. She further said that although they have done well throughout the tournament, the pressure will be on both sides as they both are capable enough to win the cup.
