With the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 quickly approaching, Indian veteran Harmanpreet Kaur is counting on the team’s recent performance, group confidence, and updated training techniques to break over the barrier and win India’s first championship.
Co-hosts India and Sri Lanka will play each other in the opening match of the eight-team 2025 event on September 30. Under Mithali Raj’s leadership, India’s greatest results in the tournament’s history have been finishing second in 2005 and 2017, both years after they lost in the 2022 semifinals.
At an ICC event in Mumbai, Harmanpreet Kaur stated, “Playing in front of a home crowd is always special, and hopefully, this time we will give our 100% and try to break that barrier which all Indian fans and we are waiting for,” according to ESPNcricinfo.
We were not shocked by our performance because we were well-prepared: Harmanpreet Kaur
India has won nine of their 11 games so far in 2025, which is an outstanding streak. They have swept Ireland 3-0, won a tri-series match against South Africa in Sri Lanka, and most recently, won a series 2-1 in England. After defeating England 3-2 in their home T20I series, Harmanpreet Kaur acknowledged that the team’s confidence is skyrocketing. The Indian captain thinks this will improve their performance.
“We have a lot of confidence because of how much cricket we have played over the past few years. [We are] very high [on confidence].” And touchwood, we simply want to keep playing the way we have over the past few years. Harmanpreet Kaur stated, “I believe it all comes down to mentality and [the] fearless cricket we have been playing.”
Because we were aware of the level of preparation we had done, we were not shocked by the outcomes [in England]. We were aware that this would be simple. I believe we have been putting in a lot of effort, but we also kept things straightforward because we knew we could easily win any event or series. All we were discussing was how we might win and get better. Therefore, it wasn’t like we accomplished anything noteworthy. Our habits and our desire to repeat the same actions repeatedly are to blame for [the outcome], she continued.
Ten days before to the start of the World Cup, India will have to contend with another significant obstacle: a three-match ODI series at home against world No. 1 and reigning champions Australia. The Moga native believes that playing a series against one of the world’s top-ranked teams is the best approach to get ready for a crucial World Cup match at home.
“Well, it’s always difficult when we face Australia because they are fiercely competitive and you always have to be aware of where you stand and what areas you need to work on as a team. That series, in my opinion, will provide us with a great deal of clarity just before the World Cup. Hopefully, we will also play our best cricket around that time, and I believe the momentum will continue. However, New Zealand won the T20 World Cup last year, while Australia did not get to the final. It was a refreshing change to see two teams other than Australia in the championship game, she said.
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