GUWAHATI: It was a hot and humid day. Extreme in terms of the month and region with temperature hovering around 36-38 degree celsius. But it felt like 50 degrees. When Sri Lanka trained in the early afternoon at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium, the conditions seemed hostile. And on Tuesday, when they take on India in the first match of the ICC Women's World Cup, conditions are expected to be the same. It was like a cauldron with little breeze.
By evening, the temperature settled down a bit but not enough to be called comfortable. The Indian team walked out for some training sessions and went about their rituals ahead of the first game on Tuesday. India would be chasing history and with home advantage would be looking to win their maiden World Cup. But the road ahead would be choppy and challenging. Yet Harmanpreet Kaur, the India captain exuded confidence.
After all, she has seen it all with this Indian team that has seen enough heartbreaks in the last eight years. From the nine-run loss in the 2017 final against England to the 2020 T20 World Cup final to the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022 and the 2023 T20 World Cup in South Africa, the Women in Blue have come close but the real silverware eluded the team.
There was one such occasion three years ago at the Hagley Oval in New Zealand. India were playing South Africa in their last league game of 2022 ODI WC, and a win would have taken them to the semifinals. In a chase that went down to the wire, Harmanpreet, vice-captain at the time, would be in the huddle with Deepti Sharma, Mithali Raj, and Smriti Mandhana throughout the last over. However, Deepti overstepped and the Proteas women handed India a loss.
That teary night in Christchurch marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. Mithali retired and Harmanpreet took over as all-format captain. A lot has changed since. A new generation of players broke into the set-up, the Women's Premier League came along, paving way for more women to take up the sport as a profession. The likes of Jemimah Rodrigues, Arundhati Reddy, Amanjot Kaur, and Renuka Singh started to make their mark. And now, they all will come together in this quest for glory. "We now have a lot of experience," Harmanpreet said in the pre-match press conference on Monday. "This group played together for so many years. If I talk about the batting order or bowling department, I think everybody knows their role very well. I think the clarity is there. And as a team, I think we have created so many magic moments for women's cricket that has definitely given us a lot of confidence to do well in ODI cricket also," she added.
There are some chinks in the armour that the team management will have to keep close eye on. India's top two are settled with Mandhana going through a purple patch, but they tend to slow down at the fall of the first wicket. Harleen Deol, who has been batting at the position, used to take her time to settle before accelerating. When it comes off, it looks good, but on pitches that are good for batting, it is important to sustain the momentum.
Then there is the concern about bowling attacks with key players coming back from injury. Renuka Singh and Amanjot Kaur are returning after long layoffs. India will have to be careful about their workload.
And the job begins on Tuesday against a side that is hungry for success. Sri Lanka, led by Chamari Athapaththu, had to miss the 2022 edition because the qualifiers were called off due to covid outbreak. If they manage to cause an upset against India, that will set off a rollercoaster like no other. Harmanpreet knows that too. "Our main focus is on tomorrow's game, and setting the tone for us, that is something we are really looking forward to," she said, before adding, "We'll keep enjoying the way we have enjoyed last time whenever we got the opportunity. I think those things are important. It's a very exciting tournament for us, and I just want all of us to stay in a very positive frame of mind where we can give our best."
No one knows more about coming close before falling short in the end than this Indian team. This time, they will not want that to happen. They know the significance of a home World Cup and why Indian women's cricket needs the trophy now more than ever to take the sport to the next stage. They know what the 2005 and 2017 finals did for the sport in India. Now it is time to go all the way. And with Hamranpreet and Mandhana leading the way, they will kickstart a dream that has been manifested by generations.
