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India captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Monday said the team’s all-round depth gives them a “high chance” of winning the Women’s Cricket World Cup title, especially as they play on home soil.
The 13th edition of the women’s showpiece 50-over tournament begins Tuesday, with co-hosts India to face Sri Lanka in the opener in Guwahati.
The Indian women made it to two ODI World Cup finals but lost on both occasions — going down to England by nine runs the last time around in 2017 at Lord’s.
But Kaur’s team have improved in leaps and bounds from the previous edition in 2022 when Australia won a record-extending seventh title.
“India I mean, we do have a high chance to be honest,” Kaur told reporters on the eve of the opener.
“I’m not just saying because we have advantage of playing at home, but the amount of cricket we have played and the results we have got in last couple of years.
“I think that shows we have a depth in our game, whether it’s batting or bowling. We have improved in a lot of areas,” she added.
India recently went down to Australia 2-1 in three ODIs at home but posted big scores with their batting led by prolific opener Smriti Mandhana.
The bowling showed promise with up-and-coming medium-pacer Kranti Goud leading the charge with five wickets alongside Australia’s Megan Schutt, who also picked five in the three matches.
Kaur will be leading India for the first time in the marquee tournament and said the combination of good performance and home support will be key.
“I think home conditions and home World Cup is always very special, and I am sure they (fans) are going to come here and support us throughout the tournament,” said Kaur.
“We both, as a team and as a fan, I think we’ll try to create a special memory for both sides.”
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu said India remain favourites at home but the island nation will play without pressure.
“India is favourite in this World Cup… they know the condition and the ground support, spectators, so everything with them,” said Athapaththu.
“But my plan was I want to play our best cricket in front of everyone. We don’t want to take too much pressure on our shoulders.”
Pakistan will play all their matches in Colombo as part of a compromise deal that allows both India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments.
The final will be played on November 2.
