Women’s cricket will make its debut in the Commonwealth Games on July 29 with the first game between India and Australia. In a press conference on the eve of India’s opening match against Australia, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said, “Before the Sri Lanka tour, we had a players-only meeting. I had asked all the girls, ‘what is the thing that we want to set for our team?’ Pooja had given a very good answer about developing a killing attitude.”

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Previously India Women participated in tournament cricket in England, mayhem resulted as they lost seven wickets in the span of 35 deliveries and went on to lose the 2017 World Cup final at Lord’s by just nine runs.

The last time they competed in a tournament was four months ago at the 2022 World Cup, where South Africa defeated the 2017 runners-up with the aid of a no-ball in the final over of the chase. The two outcomes showed how the squad capitulated under duress in the final seconds of a crucial game. That’s why the skipper is stressing on ‘killer attitude’.

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The 33-year-old also stressed on winning against Australia, “Winning all the games is something very important when you are playing a tournament like this. But, the first game is always important because you have to set the tone. The other two teams (Pakistan and Barbados) are important as well, so we have made plans for them. We are taking one game at a time, and right now our full focus is on the first game.” 

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The Indian women’s team will be playing at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground for the first time, hence the team will need to adjust swiftly. “We were not able to look at the pitch yesterday but we did get some time in the nets, it was looking like a very nice batting track. You always get help for the bowlers also because of the weather. I think it would be great for both batters and bowlers. If I talk about the team combination, we have a balanced side,” she added.