India captain Harmanpreet Kaur stressed on adaptability as the quality expected from her teammates. The women’s team coach Ramesh Powar referred to work being done towards creating a group of match-winners.
Both were answering questions on the preparations and team outlook before flying to the West Indies for the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup early next month.
Team India had planned to prepare in the West Indies, which did not work out, said the captain. The alternative was games against Australia-A here.
Harmanpreet said: “We tried out players in different positions during the matches. The batters and bowlers were told to be ready to play in any position during the World Cup.”
The squad is a mix of youngsters and experienced hands. A notable player missing from the 2016 World Cup team will be fast bowler Jhulan Goswami.
Asked to comment on the absence of a leader for the bowlers, Powar said: “We are not here to create leaders. We work towards creating match-winners so that in future every player should get the confidence that she can win a match on her own.”
He also asserted that women’s cricket has evolved, resulting in fearless young players drafted in who don’t feel the pressure. “Youngsters react differently when faced with a pressure situation. This team is working towards dominance. We will work together to dominate at the World Cup. The team is not going to just take part in it.”
India is placed in Group B along with Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Pakistan.
The tournament will be held from November 9 to 24 in the West Indies, featuring 10 teams.
The team: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Mithali Raj, Jemimah Rodrigues, Veda Krishnamurthy, Deepti Sharma, Tanya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Anuja Patil , D Hemalatha, Mansi Joshi, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy. Coach: Ramesh Powar.
India’s matches: Nov. 9 (vs NZ), Nov. 11 (Pak), Nov. 15 (Ire), Nov 17 (Aus).