India are hungry for evasive World title: Captain Harmanpreet Kaur

“I am sure this year’s tournament in South Africa will be ultra-competitive. Though Australia go into the tournament as favourites, there is very little separating other teams, promising close matches and high-class performances,” Kaur said as quoted by an ICC press release.

“We are hungry for that evasive title as we go to South Africa with high hopes and the confidence of having an outfit that can beat any team on its day,” she added.

Kaur, who has played in all the T20 World Cups so far, debuting in the format at the inaugural edition in 2009, said that the recent triumph of the U-19 team in the World Cup will act as an inspiration for the senior team in South Africa.

“The Under-19 team’s victory provides added inspiration. Winning any world title is huge and one will always remember this one since it was the inaugural edition of the championship. I congratulate the team for the historic victory and hope we can emulate them in the senior event,” she said.

“We have senior players as well as young guns like Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh, who are fresh from the Indian team’s victory at the Under-19 World Cup, play an attractive brand of cricket and now also have enough experience of top-class cricket. We have depth in batting and enough variety in bowling with Renuka Singh stepping up well in the pace department to do what is required against top teams,” the Indian skipper added.

The Indian team have won the Asia Cup and grabbed the silver at the Commonwealth Game last year but lost a recent home series to Australia. Kaur, however, chose to see the positives coming out of the series.

“A home series against Australia in December further gave us the opportunity to test ourselves and try our combinations against a top side. Though we lost the series 4-1, there were enough thrills in the series for the thousands who thronged the Mumbai stadiums. The attendance in those matches also reflected the growing attention the women’s game has been able to attract in recent times,” she said.

On the upcoming women’s IPL, she said, “The support for women’s cricket by the International Cricket Council and the Board of Control for Cricket in India has been amazing over the years and the impending Women’s IPL is surely going to take the game to the next level in India. The appetite for women’s cricket has been growing rapidly and the future is very bright in all aspects.”

India will start their World Cup campaign against Pakistan on February 12 followed by clashes with West Indies, England and Ireland on February 15, 18 and 20 respectively.