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Ahead of the start of India's ICC Women's T20 World Cup campaign, former Indian all-rounder Reema Malhotra said that beating Pakistan will not be a challenge for the Women in Blue, who are a far more superior team in women's cricket.
The ICC Women's T20 World Cup is scheduled to start in the UAE from October 3 with India poised to kickstart their campaign against New Zealand on October 4 and take on arch-rivals Pakistan on October 6. The Women in Blue, who reached the semi-finals in the previous edition, are placed in Group A of the competition along with Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Speaking to ANI in a telephonic interview, Reema said that playing against an all-rounder-filled, star-studded Australian team would be far more challenging than the pressure that comes with playing against Pakistan. She also said that the Women's Premier League (WPL), the franchise-based league that debuted in 2023, has taught the team to handle pressure better. "I will be honest. In women's cricket, Pakistan will never be challenge, because of the quality of cricket they are playing. India is a far better side. I have never seen that challenging side of Pakistan to be honest. If you are talking to world champions Australia, we will have to play our A game to beat them. We have beaten them before. But I want India to handle the pressure and prove that we are the best. I think we can win against Australia because of the Women's Premier League (WPL). The girls know now how to handle pressure better, in crunch situations, of the crowd etc," said Reema. India notably has a positive win-loss record of 5-2 against Pakistan in Women's T20 World Cup. Against Australia though, India has just won two matches out of six and defending champions Australia holds a The former all-rounder also said that wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh will be the "X Factor" for India in the competition. In 55 T20Is, she has scored 860 runs at an average of 28.66, with a strike rate of 140.52 and a half-century. She has excelled as a hard-hitting finisher for India and in franchise cricket too. On Team India's squad and chances in the competition this time, Reema said that the team consists of best players from the country and it has the a great mix of experience, youth and all-rounders that can help Indian women's side end its ICC World Cup drought. "Looking at the team, this is the best team we have got. There is a mix of experience and all-rounders. This will help India lift the trophy. But it is a T20 game, it depends on how you play on a particular day. You could be good on paper, but you need to prove it on the ground. I feel India has a very good chance this time," said the former player. India has experienced two major heartbreaks in T20 WC, losing to Australia in the final of 2020 edition by 85 runs while chasing 185 runs at Melbourne and succumbing to them once again by just five runs during the previous year's tournament while chasing 173 runs. Reema feels that it all comes down to handling pressure during big matches during ICC tournaments. She feels that the WPL has given Indian stars an experience of how to face big crowds and the pressure, expectations which come with them. "It is about handling the pressure. During ICC tournaments, it is about handling the pressure and expectations of fans during big matches. The coverage we get know, we never got it before. I think Indian team takes that pressure. But now, they would not be facing such pressure because of WPL. During these two WPL seasons, there were big crowds, pressure to become the champions and we got two different champions. MI and RCB, with captains Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, who are the captain and vice-captain of India. Now I think India has a better chance of beating some of the world's best. Now they know how to handle pressure and play in crunch situations," said Reema. While the former all-rounder feels that Alyssa Healy led Australia no doubt looks extremely threatening, she chose Sri Lanka to be the surprise package of the competition. "I think, Sri Lanka are underdogs. They have played some great cricket. Looking at their records how they played in Asia Cup, the support they get from the government, I think SL could be the surprise package," she added. Reema feels that the WPL has helped bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket and given Indian players, a much better access to headspace and gameplay of key foreign players because of the fact they all share dressing rooms together for one franchise or the other. "They (Indian players) know how to handle pressure, how to play their game. Technique and temperament are important, but it is all in mind. It is about how you beat them in your mind. Now our players know how to do it. Sharing the dressing room with such big stars is great for youngsters. Smriti and Harman have realized that they can play more fearlessly and beat everyone. But at the end of the day, it is a T20 game, it all depends on how your momentum is on a day. You should believe in yourself and you will win," she said. In the T20 World Cup last year, Australia defeated South Africa at home by 19 runs to win their sixth title. Meanwhile, India made it to the semifinals, losing to the Aussies by five runs. In the first warm-up match of ICC Women's T20 WC, India defeated West Indies by 20 runs on Sunday. They will next face South Africa on Tuesday in their second warm-up game. Indian Squad for Women's T20 WC: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajana Sajeevan Travelling reserves: Uma Chetry (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Saima Thakor; Non-Travelling Reserves: Raghvi Bist, Priya Mishra. (ANI)
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