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India women's team captain Harmanpreet Kaur has said that the side is entering the upcoming T20I series against South Africa with confidence and a clear focus on building momentum ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Speaking ahead of the opening T20I of the five-match series on April 17, as quoted by the ICC, Harmanpreet said the team has grown in confidence following the ODI World Cup and is aiming to use the series as preparation for global tournaments. "I think after the ODI World Cup, the team is looking quite confident. Wherever we are going, we are going with full confidence. The South Africa series is very important for us. We want to take this opportunity very seriously and play very good cricket," she said. She added that the upcoming bilateral series will be crucial for giving all players equal opportunities before the World Cup squad is finalised. "These series before the (T20) World Cup are very important, where all the players should get equal opportunities. So when we enter the World Cup, we should feel we are ready with all the players," Harmanpreet said. Harmanpreet also praised young talent Anushka Sharma, highlighting the importance of exposing emerging players to high-quality international cricket. "Anushka Sharma is a great talent. We wanted to bring her here to give her some experience. When you do well against competitive teams like South Africa, you always get a lot of confidence," she said. On the other side, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt acknowledged the challenge of facing a confident Indian unit, while also embracing the opportunity to test her side's plans and execution. "They obviously have a lot of world-class spinners, so that will be a big thing for us. it's an awesome challenge and hopefully we're able to play some good cricket." The rivalry between the two sides adds another layer, especially with recent Cricket World Cup history still fresh. "Very exciting rivalry. We beat them in the group stages and then lost the final (in 2025), which was disappointing. Haven't played them since that final, so definitely looking forward to a bit of a rematch," Wolvaardt said. T20I Series Schedule: 17 April, 1st T20I - Kingsmead, Durban19 April, 2nd T20I - Kingsmead, Durban22 April, 3rd T20I - Wanderers, Johannesburg25 April, 4th T20I - Wanderers, Johannesburg27 April, 5th T20I - Willowmoore Park, Benoni. (ANI)
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