BENGALURU: Ahead of the Commonwealth Games, captain of Indian women's cricket team Harmanpreet Kaur said that having women's cricket in the multi-national event can be a game changer for this sport.
"As a cricketer, we always want to play more cricket and matches. Whenever you go to a big event, it is important for you to perform well. To show the capability you have. So definitely if we get to play in such tournaments it's good for women's cricket. Yes, having women's cricket in a multi-nation event can prove to be a game changer," said Harmanpreet during a virtual press conference.
Indian women's cricket team led by Harmanpreet Kaur will be competing at the Commonwealth Games 2022 for the first time in history when the event get underway in Birmingham, starting from July 29.
Usually, cricket teams fought for a trophy but in this multi-sport event, the India women's team and others will battle for a medal and a podium finish.
Taling about the tournament and their goals for the competition, the Indian captain said, "Definitely, this tournament is very important for us and this time we are playing for a medal because if I talk about myself, we have grown watching these types of tournaments and this time, we are glad that we are getting an opportunity to be part of this big event and I think, in future if we keep getting these opportunities, it will be great for us."
Women in Blue are set to start their CWG campaign against Australia in the opener. India's clash against Australia on July 29 will mark the debut of women's cricket in the Commonwealth Games.
When asked about the athletes the women's team would like to meet during the Commonwealth Game, coach Ramesh Powar said: "If there is an opportunity, we would all like to meet PV Sindhu and Neeraj Chopra. Both of them have set the bar high, I would like to go into their minds and I am curious about their preparation, and the way they handle the pressure of the expectations of billion people, it is commendable. We as a group would like to exchange notes with these two top-class athletes."
The women's team is set to be a part of the 322-member Indian contingent set to travel to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games. In the 322-member squad, 215 are athletes, with 108 men and 107 women part of the squad.
Talking about the event the Indian captain said that they want to celebrate each and every Commonwealth Games medal.
"This time, we are going to be a part of the multi-sport event, it is not only about cricket, but there would also be other sports as well. We want to celebrate each and every medal we will win, we all are very excited. We all are looking forward and we cannot wait to be part of this great event," Harmanpreet said.
India women squad for CWG 2022: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, S. Meghana, Taniyaa Sapna Bhatia (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Thakur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav, Harleen Deol and Sneh Rana.