Harmanpreet Kaur said that India have been ‘restless’ and might lose momentum after having an eight-day break before the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Final against the hosts. It will be more than a week since they last played their group league game and before taking on Australia in their maiden T20 World Cup title. With a comfortable win over Sri Lanka last Saturday and a semi-final washout against England, Kaur admitted that India have struggled to replicate a good show in the games.
“We haven’t been outdoors much and we didn’t manage to play the important game against England,” said Kaur. “We were all in touch and doing indoor training, but it doesn’t give you full confidence because the surface is totally different. Everyone was in good touch and thinking what they can do for the team.”
“We did get rest also because when you’re playing for a long time, you need a break. No-one wanted to take rest, everyone was so keen, everyone was on the ground and ready to deal with the situation,” said the captain.
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India started their campaign against Australia where the clash saw 13,432 fans pack Sydney Showground and given over 75,000 tickets have been sold for the MCG so far as well. Kaur, who played in front of a full packed stadium in the 2017 Cricket World Cup Final against England at Lord’s, encouraged her team to relish the moment rather than being in pressure.
“It’s a great feeling. It’s the first time we’re going to see 90,000 people in the stadium and we’re really looking positive for that,” she said. “We are used to playing when a lot of crowd is around us. Sometimes there’s no noise going around in the stadium so we need to keep an eye on each of us. It’s a big moment.”
“Rather than thinking about what is going to trouble us, it’s only about being there, enjoying the moment and giving our best. One thing, we have to keep in mind Sunday is a fresh day, a fresh start. We have to start from ball one. We’ve done quite well in the league games. Both teams are under pressure and both are capable of winning,” Harmanpreet Kaur concluded.
