This is good preparation for World Cup: Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Bangladesh ODI series
Jul 15, 2023
Dhaka [Bangladesh], July 15 : Ahead of the first match of the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla in Dhaka on Sunday, India women's team captain Harmanpreet Kaur said that this series would be a good opportunity for the team to prepare for the 50-over World Cup which will be held next year.
After claiming the T20I series by 2-1, India is ready to take on Bangladesh in the ODIs.
In the pre-match press conference, Harmanpreet said, "Our batters are so conducive to the flatter tracks, so for us as a team, keeping in mind the world cup which is going to be next year, it is good learning. As far as I know, coming here is also a learning for our batters, as our team's core is always going to be the same and providing such wickets and looking forward to the world cup preparation which will happen in Bangladesh, this is a good opportunity for our batters."
When asked about her expectations from the playing conditions, She said that the wicket is going to be quite slow so for them it is important to get crucial runs.
“One thing is clear the wicket is quite slow and we are not expecting too many runs. Being there is more important and getting those crucial runs for the team is more important. Other than just thinking about putting a big total on the board. Bowling in the right area and executing our plans are more important. We just want to go there and execute our plans," she said.
Bangladesh had won the last T20I match by 4 wickets to avoid a clean sweep in the series, Harmanpreet thinks that the Bangladesh team has the potential to give a strong fight.
“We know that they have done very well in the ODIs and last two games they gave a really good fight. We know that they are not going to give anything easily. We also like to play ODIs and I am very confident on our side. Hopefully, we will do what we have expected from ourselves and show trust in ourselves and do what the team is expecting," Harmanpreet further said.
On slow tracks, Harmanpreet said, "We always want to play on good, fair tracks and as much as I know we are going to play on the same track. Hopefully, we will get better wickets in the next two games. We want to play in higher-scoring conditions but we know that whenever we will play in Asia, we will get slow wickets. We know that as a batting unit, we need to work hard to get those runs and we are ready for that."
The Indian skipper also said that Bangladesh has the most efficient spin bowling attack and they have to play after accessing the conditions.
“We know that their spin attack is better than any team in the world. On flat tracks you can play more attacking cricket. But here you have to examine the wickets," she concluded.
India's T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Deepti Sharma, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Harleen Deol, Devika Vaidya, Uma Chetry (wk), Amanjot Kaur, S. Meghana, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Anjali Sarvani, Monica Patel, Rashi Kanojiya, Anusha Bareddy and Minnu Mani.
Bangladesh squad for India T20Is: Nigar Sultana (capt, wk), Nahida Akter, Dilara Akter, Shathi Rani, Shamima Sultana, Sobhana Mostary, Murshida Khatun, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Disha Biswas, Marufa Akter, Sanjida Akter Meghla, Rabeya Khan, Sultana Khatun, Salma Khatun and Fahima Khatun.