'We can beat them any day' - Harmanpreet on facing Australia

by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on

Harmanpreet has exuded confidence ahead of the home World Cup. © BCCI

On the eve of India's crucial ODI series against Australia - their final dress rehearsal before the ODI World Cup at home - captain Harmanpreet Kaur exuded confidence, declaring that her team now genuinely believes they can beat the reigning champions. Coming off their recent success in England and a period of intensive preparation focussed on both fitness and skill, the series against the world champions is not just about fine-tuning combinations, but also about making a statement of intent with the spotlight firmly on India's build-up to the marquee tournament on home soil.

"Australia have had a good set-up from the start, and they have been dominating for a long time. We have only just entered that race. We are a team that's been working hard all year long, and have shown improvement day by day. Our team's performance over the last year, year-and-a-half, has brought us to the point where everybody has the belief that we can beat them," said Harmanpreet, underscoring a shift in mindset and intent within the squad and setting the stage for a high-stakes rubber that kicks off in New Chandigarh on Sunday.

"We were working hard towards it before this. We have been working on a lot of areas, especially areas like fielding and fitness, and now we've started to see results as well. No doubt, Australia are dominating and they have played some very good cricket all over the world. But now the stage we are at, as a captain I personally have this genuine belief that we are good and we can beat them any day. We've beaten England - their full-strength side - in England, which shows that we are doing a lot of things right. This squad has been more or less consistent for a while now - the girls have been playing together for years. Now we know each other, our roles and what everyone brings to the table.

"Now we also have that belief that we can beat any team any day. That is something which is very important, I feel. Wherever, whoever you're up against - you need to have that belief first and foremost, and the results will follow. That belief is there that we can do well, and hopefully we'll give our best in these three games and potentially change some stats."

Australia have been the ultimate challenger for India over the last 24 months. India have conceded both the three-match ODI series to them, at home (2023-24) and away (Dec 2024), in this period while comprehensively beating the likes of South Africa and New Zealand at home, and most recently England (away).

The imprint of the Women's Premier League has been unmistakable in this character development, as has been the role of consistent spotlight and increased exposure. Harmanpreet noted pacer Kranti Goud and opener Pratika Rawal as classic examples of the young talent that has walked in with unparalleled confidence, clarity and maturity, and owned their roles in no time.

"They [youngsters] have been very exciting on the field. Their approach to the game is very encouraging to see as the captain of the team. About 4-5 years ago, the gap between our domestic cricket and international standards was far too wide. A player needed a lot of time to sustain at the highest level. But over the last five years, the amount of cricket we've played, the consistency with which we've got games, and the fact that most games were telecast - all of that has [changed the landscape]. The girls coming in now look ready, they know how to push themselves at the international stage.

"We've seen that particularly in players like Kranti and Pratika - they looked ready from the word go. With them it never felt like they needed that extra time or opportunities. They showed us they were ready for their opportunity. That is something very pleasing to see as a captain. We'd been hoping for something like that for a long time. We'd been hoping for a long time for WPL to kick off and cut that gap between domestic and international cricket. And we've seen it happen over the last three years. We've got some outstanding talent [out of it]," said Harmanpreet, set to play her 150th ODI incidentally in her home state.

The India captain reserved special praise for Rawal who isn't a product of WPL but has nailed down her spot with remarkable consistency to keep the explosive Shafali Verma out of the team's World Cup squad.

"The kind of numbers Pratika has shown, and the confidence she carries is something we could not ignore," Harmanpreet said putting speculations to rest. "She's proven herself in such a short span of time already. She brings stability to the team. Hopefully she can continue in the same way that she has started her career, because this next month and a half is very important for us. We're not thinking about who's here and who's not - whoever is here is very important to this team."

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