India women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur views the upcoming ODI series against Australia as a critical opportunity to gear up for the Women’s ODI World Cup, set to take place in India. While the immediate focus is on performing well against the formidable Australian team, Harmanpreet acknowledged that their ultimate objective is World Cup preparation.
The three-match ODI series is scheduled to begin on December 5 at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field, followed by games on December 8 and 11. Fresh from their 2-1 series win against New Zealand, Harmanpreet’s squad is keen to maintain momentum. Speaking at a pre-series press briefing, Harmanpreet emphasised the importance of treating every match as a building block for the World Cup.
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“This is a format (ODI) where we all enjoy a lot than other uh other cricket and yeah it’s something we’re always looking forward to. Especially, we have the upcoming World Cup in India and Australia is someone, who have played really good cricket wherever they go and it’s a great a platformmers to go go and play well,” she said.
“We just want go there and try our combinations and see whoever is doing well and give them more opportunity. At the same time, the upcoming players who are doing really well, we want to give them a chance and see whoever is the best. Looking keeping World Cup in the mind, and all those players who can do well in the home conditions, we will look to pick those players when we are playing the World Cup,” she added.
Australia has historically outperformed India in ODIs on their home soil, with India securing only four wins out of 16 matches. In their last bilateral series in Australia in 2021, India lost 1-2 but ended on a high note with a spirited win in the final game.
With the series opener at Allan Border Field, Indian players will face the challenge of adapting to Australian conditions quickly. Harmanpreet underlined the need to enhance their performance on foreign pitches against a team known for its depth and consistency.
This series offers India a chance to test their combinations, identify key players for home conditions, and solidify their strategy for the World Cup. With renewed confidence and a talented squad, India aims to give a strong performance against Australia while keeping their eyes on World Cup glory.