It will be tough to handle the windy conditions in West Indies, says Harmanpreet Kaur
Indian women's T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur has stated that the wind will play a big role in the upcoming Women’s World T20 to be held in the Windies from November 9th to 24th. This will be the sixth edition of the Women’s World T20 and will be held for the second time in the Island country.
Indian women’s team will be looking to bag their maiden World T20 title in the sixth edition of the tournament. Talking on the tournament Indian batswomen and skipper, Harmanpreet Kaur also cautioned that the windy conditions will play a major role in the upcoming competition.
"Wind is a big factor in the West Indies. It doesn't just affect high catches, it makes a difference as a captain, bowler and batter,We have to think about which end to use which bowler from, and from which end which shot makes more sense. That's one of the things we will have in our plans going into this tournament” Kaur wrote for the ICC.
"The Caribbean has some very unique conditions, and we will be playing those as much as the opposition. Judging by scores in their local tournaments, the pitches seem to be a bit on the slower side.
She furthered the discussion on the conditions focusing on the playing conditions of the matches India will play.Â
"All of our matches are in the afternoon, so dew should not be a factor for us as much, but if it's there, there may be a bit of grip in the evening."
In the recent years, the women’s cricket has gained some mass following and the right hander is wary of the expectations the fans will have from the team.
"The ICC Women's World T20 2018 is the first ICC tournament after the World Cup 2017, so I think a lot more Indians will be following our team. It's a good feeling. Now the expectations will also increase, but that's good for the team as well," she wrote.
She also said that no team in the competition is a minnow and they will have to give 100% in every match of the tournament.
"In the past, we would see a few teams dominate others in T20 cricket. Now every team has two or three hitters who can change the game at any moment. You just can't take anyone lightly.So I think the ICC Women's World T20 2018 will be a good tournament, and an important tournament, especially for India. If we play well as a team, we can hope for a good performance like last year," she said.
Kaur cautioned all the teams against complacency and also shared few strategies which the team will employ.
"All the teams have done well in the last two to three years, so there isn't really a top-three anymore. We will have to give our 100 percent every game. We can't take it easy, there are no games we can try anything in. It is going to be about playing our best XI every time, and taking things game by game."