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Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur is just nine runs away from becoming the second Indian women's cricketer to reach the 4,000 run mark in T20Is.
The Indian skipper can achieve this milestone during the first T20I of the series against England at Chelmsford on Wednesday. In 195 T20I matches, Harmanpreet Kaur has scored 3,991 runs in 174 innings at an average of 29.78 and a strike rate of 109.82, with a century and 16 fifties and a best score of 103. The top run-getter in women's T20I cricket is New Zealand's Suzie Bates, with 4,720 runs in 183 matches and 176 innings at an average of 28.78 and a strike rate of 108.35, including a century and 28 fifties. At the second place is Harmanpreet's deputy, Smriti Mandhana, with 4,293 runs in 163 matches and 157 innings at an average of 30.23 and a strike rate of 124.65, with a century and 33 fifties. This year in eight T20Is, Harmanpreet has scored 207 runs at an average of 41.40, with a half-century and best score of 66 in seven innings. Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the opening T20I against England on Thursday, Harmanpreet said returning to the same country for a potential World Cup triumph, where she made her T20I debut, would be a special milestone. "I think it will be a dream come true for any cricketer who got their debut in England and then won the World Cup in England. I can't ask anything else for myself and from God. It's about keeping ourselves in a positive frame and doing the right things again and again because consistency always gives results. It's about going there, expressing ourselves and enjoying each moment on the field," she said. The India skipper also highlighted how the team's recent ODI World Cup success has boosted confidence ahead of the T20 World Cup. "Winning the World Cup gave us a lot of confidence. That confidence will carry over to this T20 World Cup. We now know how to win and perform under pressure. Those experiences will give us confidence playing this World Cup," Harmanpreet said. She further underlined the importance of the ongoing series against England as crucial preparation for the global tournament. "Any series before a World Cup is very important. It's good that we are getting these conditions before the tournament so that we can get used to it. Playing against England is always challenging. We love playing in English conditions. Hopefully, this series will give us everything we need and a lot of confidence going into the T20 World Cup," she added. The high-voltage series between the two countries is expected to serve as a key preparatory stage for India as they fine-tune their combinations ahead of the upcoming ICC tournament in June. (ANI)
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