ICC Women's WT20 | We have to handle pressure and enjoy our game, says Harmanpreet Kaur

01/23/2020

India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has called on her troops to not let the pressure get to them in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia, but rather enjoy their game. India will take on defending champions Australia when the showpiece event kicks off at the Showground Stadium in Sydney on February 21.

When the Indian women’s team last featured in a T20 World Cup two years ago, it made it all the way to the semi-final stage before crashing out. The year before that, in 2017, the women went all the way to the final at the ODI World Cup in England, only to return with a heartbreaking loss. And so as another showdown beckons and India leaves for Australia on Thursday evening, Harmanpreet wants her girls to enjoy their game.

“Rather than taking pressure, we need to enjoy our game. We need to back our skills and play our natural game,” Harmanpreet said on Thursday, reported Sportstar.

“We were pretty close in the last two World Cups (ODI World Cup in 2017 and T20 World Cup in 2018). In this World Cup, we need to keep in mind how to handle pressure. The only reason we did not win the last two World Cups was because we could not handle the pressure when we needed to."

Before the ultimate showdown, however, India will feature in a tri-series involving England and hosts Australia, starting on January 31.