India look to break ‘final barrier’ in Women’s World Cup

MUMBAI: India captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Monday said the team was determined to break the “final barrier” and lift their first Women’s World Cup cricket title this year after missing out twice previously.

The 13th edition of the women’s showpiece 50-over tournament will begin on September 30, with co-hosts India set to face Sri Lanka in the opener in Bengaluru.

The Indian women made it to two ODI World Cup finals but lost on both occasions – going down to England by nine runs the last time around in 2017 at Lord’s.

Kaur, who made a valiant 51 runs in the final, will be leading India for the first time in the marquee tournament.

“Playing in front of a home crowd is always special, and hopefully, this time we will give our 100 percent and finally break that barrier that all Indian fans are waiting for,” Kaur said.

“World Cups are always special, and we always want to do something special” for the country, she said at an International Cricket Council event in Mumbai.

Kaur’s India are fresh from a series win in England, where they beat the hosts 3-2 in T20 matches and 2-1 in three 50-overs games.

“(The confidence is) very high. The kind of cricket we’ve played over the last couple of years, gives us a lot of confidence,” said the top-order batter.

India opener Smriti Mandhana said the women’s team has witnessed a change in mindset over the years.

“There’s a calmness with which I want to go about on the field,” said Mandhana at the event, which marked the 50-day countdown to the tournament.

“Our whole team is heading in that direction. We know where we want to work hard. And when we enter the field, we know we’ve just got to implement.”

Pakistan will play all their matches in Colombo as part of a compromise deal that allows both India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments.

The final will be played on November 2 either in Bengaluru or Colombo, depending on whether Pakistan reach the title clash.