"Best team going into World Cup": India captain Harmanpreet Kaur confident about overcoming Australia

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 24 : India captain Harmanpreet Kaur remains optimistic about their chances of overcoming the challenge posed by Australia in the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi.
India reached their first-ever T20 World Cup final in 2020 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a night filled with hope of securing the elusive title. However, Harmanpreet's side folded for 99 while chasing 185 against Australia.
This time, Harmanpreet is confident that India can surpass Australia by taking their "best team into the World Cup."
"Look, their team is good, no doubt about that. They also know that India is one of the teams that can challenge them. I think that is a really positive sign. We know that whenever we play against them, we can beat them any day, any time. Winning the title after so many years is a great opportunity for us. They know we are a strong team. We just want to play good cricket and stay focused on what will help us beat them," Harmanpreet said in a press conference.
"If I talk about this team, we have a few players who have been playing for a long time and know their roles really well. I'm quite confident with this team, and I can say that, yes, it's the best team going into the World Cup," she added.
In the last edition of the T20 World Cup in 2022, India once again came close to making history, storming into the semi-finals. However, Australia proved to be a stumbling block once again in the final four.
"It was tough last time as we came so close but lost in the semis. But you always need to focus on the positives, work hard on yourself and your fitness. We've tried to tick all the boxes before heading into the tournament," Harmanpreet noted.
In the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, India has had mixed results. They lost the T20I series against Australia and England earlier this year, but Harmanpreet's side bounced back with two consecutive series wins against Bangladesh.
In July, India's T20I series against South Africa ended in a draw. In the Asia Cup 2024, India lost the final to Sri Lanka, who remained unbeaten throughout the tournament.
Despite the mixed results, India women's team head coach Amol Muzumdar is pleased with the team's performance.
"We've had some tough tours and series leading up to this [T20] World Cup. I'm really happy with how they've performed. In the Asia Cup final, we sat as a team and discussed areas for improvement," Muzumdar said.
"We had a fitness camp where we didn't focus on skills, and we brought in a [sports] psychologist. It was separate from the skills camp, and I was very satisfied with the team's effort," he added.
Muzumdar expressed his confidence in India's top-order batting and highlighted that the top six batters are the best in the country.
"The top six are brilliant, the best in the country. We've identified [who will play at No.3], but we'll only reveal that closer to the match," the head coach said.
"No.3 is really crucial for us. I know for a fact that the No.3 position sets the game. We'll disclose it just before the game," he added.
India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against New Zealand on October 4 at Dubai International Stadium. Before the tournament, India will play warm-up matches against West Indies and South Africa.