During the pre-match press conference in Guwahati on Monday, ahead of India’s ODI World Cup opener, captain Harmanpreet Kaur recalled the only women’s series that was played at the venue. “We played in 2019, if I’m not wrong. Three T20s here. That time I wasn’t there as I was injured. But those were day games. Now we are playing day and night. I’m sure after so many years, conditions must have changed from what we played that time. But as I mentioned, because we have seen so much cricket on TV, Indian conditions always remain the same. The only thing which we have to keep in mind is the dew factor, because of the weather (very humid), and the lights will be on.”
And so, as the teams completed their warm-ups inside the venue and made it out to the nets just outside the stadium’s entrance, bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi put those thoughts into action. After a brisk early burst from Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Goud and Radha Yadav, Salvi went around the practice area with a bottle of water in his hand, pouring it over the practice balls, then rolling them on the grass before handing them back to his wards. It is never easy to grip a wet ball late on in an actual high-pressure match if the dew sets in, but India were making sure they were prepared.
Among the batters, while most of the top order got in and out of the regular nets after good hits, Harmanpreet opted for something different. After entering the practice area alongside head coach Amol Muzumdar a few minutes after the main batters had come in, she walked across to the adjacent location, without a proper turf wicket, without her pads and thigh guards on, just with a pair of gloves. After a quick chat with Muzumdar, she started taking throwdowns from one of the specialists. And for nearly an hour, she drove and flicked and lofted at full balls aimed at her imaginary middle and leg stumps.
Guwahati: India’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur during a training session ahead of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 match between India and Sri Lanka, at ACA Stadium, Barsapara, in Guwahati, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra)
In the recent past, Harmanpreet has become an LBW candidate, out in that fashion three times this year already. Her planted front foot, combined with a tendency to play across the line, has caused her trouble. So presumably, this drill was aimed at playing textbook drives in the V to balls that are zoning in on her pads, without the luxury of the protection. And she nailed it shot after shot, initially focusing on groundstrokes before taking the aerial route for a few balls.
While Harmanpreet has been guarded regarding the team combinations before the World Cup, Renuka Singh Thakur not bowling in the initial high-intensity part of the session was perhaps an indication that the pacer might not be in the fray to feature in the playing XI for the opener. Amanjot’s brisk pace on her carefully-managed return from injury, along with Goud and Reddy bowling plenty of deliveries, was another pointer to where India might be leaning.
Guwahati: Sri Lankan players during a training session ahead of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 match against India, in Guwahati, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra)
While India have enjoyed a largely one-sided rivalry against Sri Lanka (matches: 35, wins: 31, losses: 3), Chamari Athapaththu’s side did manage to win their penultimate meeting. In the Tri-Series earlier this year in Colombo, Sri Lanka managed to successfully chase down 276, and impressively, Athapaththu contributing only 23 of those. It’s been one of the reasons for Sri Lanka’s good results in recent times against some top teams, as they are no longer solely dependent on their talismanic captain.
“Some years back, all things depend on my shoulders, but not anymore, because we have good youngsters now,” Athapaththu said on Monday. “So, they know how to play the game, they know how to handle the pressure. Even in Asia Cup (last year), I do my job, but the youngsters were also doing theirs, that’s why we made the finals and that’s why we lift the trophy (beating India). We have good young team, especially Kavisha Dilhari, as an allrounder she’s doing really well. And young Harshitha and Vishmi Gunarathne, and also Imesha Dulani and Malki Madara, new fast bowler. I always told them, keep it simple, play your game, don’t take too much pressure, play simple. I know if they are playing their best cricket, we can make history.”
Both Athapaththu and Harmanpreet expressed hope that in an Asian World Cup – with Sri Lanka hosting the tournament for the first time ever – there could be an Asian winner. The Sri Lankan skipper will be hoping to start off with a big upset, but Harmanpreet’s side will fancy their chances of starting on a winning note.
The postNotes from nets: Harmanpreet Kaur practices drives without her pads on, bowlers made use water-soaked balls to tackle potential dew | Cricket News appeared first on Indian Express
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