Cricket fever is knocking our door. With Indian men touring Kiwis and the anticipation for Indian Premiere League heating in, the ladies are not behind. The women team shall tour to Australia to fight the mighty Aussie in their own backyard. Ahead of the much anticipated T20 world cup, the ladies shall take part in the tri-series with Australia and England.
It is no denying that the fixtures appear challenging for the women in blue. Australia and England, to a great extent, have dominated the cricketing streets of women cricket single-handedly. The squad for the encounters has been announced and the skipper Harmanpreet Kaur interacted with the media before departing for Australia. Facing a team like Australia means more than any ordinary faceoff. The tri-series have a newer context with top contenders standing against each other. With global attention, the teams shall have added pressure. Indian team knows the pressure better than any other side.
As pointed out by Harmanpreet in the interaction, the pressure shall be unprecedented on the side and handling nerves in the key phases will be decisive. She offered her comments – All you need to know about Women’s T20I Tri-Series in Australia 2020 | Schedule | Squad Share on X We have to avoid thinking like that and focus on giving our best,”.
It is interesting to note that her statement came behind the realization that the Indian team has fallen short of winning cups in the last two major ICC events despite satisfactory performances. She felt that the team couldn’t bring out their best game in decisive knockouts and fell to the pressure. Sporting experts have realized that pressure is very similar to stress where distinction, in the form of good and bad stress, is seen. For Indian ladies to perform their peak in the global tournament, it is mandatory that pressure is brought to an optimum level.
The team management and the support staff have to make sure that the media and their headlines don’t play with the minds of the team. Cricketing experts, on the same time, will prescribe to an extensive practice session occasionally. The pitches and playing conditions in the Aussie backyards are different from the subcontinent. The pace and the bounce can be tricky for any touring team. however, with a proper time to practice and adjust, the team can partly adapt to the conditions. Not to forget that tri-series can really assist the Indian camp.
All these efforts round up to the efforts to bring a self-confidence into the team before going to such a tournament. Any ICC event in the cricketing world has the highest worth. It boils down to the nerves as every side is out on the ground from the ultimate reward. The side with self-belief flies through rough moments and key phases with colors. What better example, for self-belief, could be Australian men’s World Cup journey. With the cup, Indian fans hope to see a new light and array of players who can compete on crucial stages and take the baton of legends forward.
Tri-series fixtures (All matches are Twenty20 internationals)
Jan 31 India v England, Canberra (03:10 GMT)
Feb 1 Australia v England, Canberra (03:10 GMT)
Feb 2 Australia v India, Canberra (03:10 GMT)
Feb 7 India v England, Melbourne (Junction Oval) (03:10 GMT)
Feb 8 Australia v India, Melbourne (Junction Oval) (03:10 GMT)
Feb 9 Australia v England, Melbourne (Junction Oval) (03:10 GMT)
Feb 12 Final, Melbourne (Junction Oval) (02:40 GMT)
How are the squads shaping up?
Australia: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy (wk), Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham
England: Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Elwiss, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones (wk), Nat Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Mady Villiers, Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield, Danni Wyatt
India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Veda Krishnamurthy, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Deepti Sharma, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Rajeshwari Gaekwad, Richa Ghosh
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