Indian Captain Harmanpreet Kaur is hoping for a good game of cricket against Australia, after returning to the 22-yards. She is keen on not only showcasing good games but also winning the series for the team.
“We need to win all three to win the series, and we want to go all out. We will go with our best talent because we want to win this series at any cost,” said Kaur.
The captain has not been able to ‘go all out’ and play a fierce game since March after suffering from a hip flexor injury. Later in April, after testing Covid positive and suffering groin injury impeded her fitness and was kept out of the squad against England and the squad for Manchester Originals at the Hundred.
“It was tough, initially, we didn’t play for a year, and then when opportunities came, I got injured back to back. You have to accept it sometimes and give time to yourself. Personally, if I keep feeling things aren’t going my way, I’ll end up draining myself, which isn’t good for me. Right now, I am looking forward to playing whatever comes my way. I want to give it my 100%. I’m very thankful to the support staff for taking care of me and managing my workload,” said Harmanpreet.
The player flew to Australia and after sustaining a thumb injury she was left out of the ODI and Test squad against Australia. It was a bit frustrating for the player who was a few steps away from making it to the playing XI.
“Initially, when I got injured, I was not able to bat or field,” she said. “From the second and third day of the Test, I was able to do that. If we had four more days between the Tests and ODIs, I could’ve played, but unfortunately, we didn’t have that much time,” she again shared.
This makes the player even more adamant about performing her level best for the T20s and winning the series for India. The player has now achieved some confidence after facing several balls at the net sessions and is looking forward to joining the team again and giving her utmost. India needs to win all three matches in order to fetch the series which makes it even more challenging for the team. Kaur must now remain focused and aim for the upcoming WBBL and the World Cup.
She mentions that she has been able to learn a few things as she sat on the bench and observed certain improvements and changes in the team. She continued: “It [sitting out of the ODIs and one-off Test] was tough, but I learnt a lot even sitting outside. I’m batting well, I’m fielding well. I didn’t play the Test because my fielding was being hampered. Had there been a four-day gap, maybe, I could have. But now I’m confident. I’m absolutely fine and looking forward to lots of cricket coming up.”
Harmanpreet Kaur also lauded the team’s frame of mind in the previous few matches as she adds, “See, when we played South Africa and England [earlier in the year], we were playing after a long time. We were building our team, and we made changes. Players were coming back in [after a while], and it takes time to get back as a group. After both series, now we are all in a great frame of mind. Everyone understands their game better after playing in back-to-back series. Things are clear. Both those series helped me learn and build individually and as a team. The three-match T20Is coming up is very important, and everyone is confident and in great form. Smriti [Mandhana] and Shafali [Verma] with the bat, the bowling department has done a great job in the ODIs and Test, everyone is taking equal responsibility, and these are good signs.”
The captain seems optimistic about the multi-format series as she finds it a good opportunity to play in all formats and conditions. She praised the players for the skills they’ve developed and the fierce games they’ve played so far against Australia and has resolved to win the remaining three T20 games in order to return victorious.
“Earlier, we played a lot of T20s or 50-over cricket. Now this [multi-format tour] gives everyone an opportunity to work on their skills. Say someone has good hitting skills, someone is more patient – everyone gets equal opportunities to prove and perform,” concluded Harmanpreet Kaur.
