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India's newly-appointed ODI captain Harmanpreet Kaur said that the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka will be the 'ideal platform' and the 'right time' for the young players to grab their 'opportunities' in the absence of the experienced players.
"We are working hard on our team, we have great combinations. And for us, it is a good tour to start, because first-time we are going to play without our seniors and a great opportunity for all of us to build a team," Harmanpreet said at a virtual press conference on Saturday. "We will take the charge and bowl [they're] full quota [of overs]. For me, it's a great opportunity where you can build a good team. Sri Lanka is not going to be an easy tour for us. So, it's important [to ensure that] whatever we are planning we go and deliver. That's what as a unit we are looking forward to," she added. Mithali Raj recently announced her retirement from all forms of cricket. The upcoming tour of Sri Lanka will be the first series for the India Women's team in the post-Mithali Raj era. Talking about Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet said, "we all know she has done great for women's cricket. I do not think there is anyone who can fill this place. We are working hard on the team where we can create some winning combinations and all. If we talk about Mithali di, I do not think there is anyone who can take her place and we will always miss her in our dressing room." Harmanpreet Kaur, who has been captain of India's T20 team since 2018, believes it will be more leisurely for her and the team going ahead now that she has also been named the ODI skipper. "I think things will be easier for me now because [when] two different captains were there, sometimes things were not easy because we both had different ideas," she said. "But now the players will think clearly [and know] what I am demanding as a captain, and everybody can look forward to that. It's easier for me to ask them what I'm expecting from them, so things will be much easier for me and my team-mates also," she added. With the Commonwealth Games 2022 around the corner and a T20 World Cup next year, Harmanpreet talked about considering where the team stood right now and what kind of approach they will adopt in their upcoming games. "In T20s we will definitely look to [play] our first combination, give them as many games as possible. In the ODIs, we have a little time to prepare for the next World Cup [in 2025] and it is where we will see if we can give chance to each and everybody," Harmanpreet said. (ANI)
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