Harmanpreet stresses importance on continuing form against England

India’s form, leading into the ODI World Cup was one of bother, with four consecutive losses against the hosts New Zealand in the five-match ODI bilateral series. However, since that win in the fifth ODI, Mithali Raj’s team have looked far more confident, winning four on the trot. 

New Zealand, however, showed them the reality at the Seddon Park, where they defeated the Indian team by a margin of 62 runs, an encounter where India struggled massively with the bat. Luckily for India, vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s form was the biggest win from the loss against New Zealand. 

In India’s crushing win over West Indies, it was the duo of Smriti Mandhana and Kaur, who took the Indian team to their highest ever total in ODI World Cup history. The duo stitched up a massive partnership, where they turned the screws in India’s favour. 

In the lead-up to India’s crucial encounter against England, Harmanpreet stressed the importance of continuing the form that they found during the colossal win over Windies. 

“I think for us, (it is) very important that the way we performed in the last game we continue that, rather than thinking about what is (are) your negatives and what is (are) your positive points,” Kaur said at the pre-match media conference.

"We got a great partnership while batting and also the way we bowled in partnerships we want to continue that against England and in the upcoming matches. I think those are the areas which we look to continue,” she added.

However, Harmanpreet stressed on the importance of not losing back-to-back wickets, an area that has hurt India in the recent past. The all-rounder also highlighted the importance of taking more responsibility for the team. 

“And apart from that, sometimes we are losing back-to-back wickets if we can work on that. Otherwise, the way we want (things to be) we are getting them.”

“Big tournaments are always very important and where your role is more important. You need to take more responsibility and perform for your team. I always want to give my best for my team but sometimes things don't go your way but I'll make sure whenever we play the World Cup, I will be there always for my team and that is the reason,” she added.

For India, it was a big plus point that they got acclimatized to the conditions in New Zealand, when they toured the country earlier prior to the global event. Harmanpreet stated that the series is one of the biggest reasons for them performing well.  

“The greatest thing was before the World Cup we got (to play) five ODIs against the New Zealand and one T20 (and) because of that we got that momentum and getting used to these conditions and that is the reason which is helping us now to perform well,” she signed off.