The void left by the retirement of veterans such as Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami is not easy to fill, but India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has asserted that her young side has grown substantially to be a top contender for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Raj retired from T20 cricket last year while Goswami had not played the 2018 edition either. The average age of India’s squad in Australia is 22.8 with Harmanpreet being among the seasoned players, having played all editions of the T20 World Cup.
“We already miss the experience they share with us, but these young girls are showing their talent and ability,” said the 30-year-old, while speaking at the captains’ media day at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.
“In the last two years... I’ve gone from being the youngest one to one of the oldest in the team. They [her teammates] never show us that they’re young, they can always do what we expect of them. The team is looking in really good shape and showing what they can do with extra responsibility,” she added.
The young guns include opener Shafali Verma, who just turned 16 and Richa Ghosh, another 16-year-old was handed a debut in the last match. Other teenagers in the Indian squad include 19-year-old Jemimah Rodrigues and Radha Yadav.
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Harmanpreet is well aware of what a good run in an ICC tournament can do for her country.
“Over the last two years, we have already had a few games as part of the Women’s T20 Challenge and this year we are looking forward to more,” said the big-hitting batter, who became the first Indian cricketer to join an overseas league by signing up with Women’s Big Bash League side Sydney Thunder in 2016.
“If we win the World Cup, there’s no doubt things will change. That tournament would bring a lot of confidence to the girls.
“If we get a women’s IPL that will be really good for us. If we win the World Cup, it’s going to be very big for us as a team, so we will try to give our best,” she said.
With PTI Inputs
