India's quest for a maiden Women's World Cup title is underway, with captain Harmanpreet Kaur hoping to lead the country to glory on home soil. Ahead of the ICC Women’s World Cup opener against Sri Lanka in Guwahati on September 30, Harmanpreet expressed confidence in her team's ability to overcome past disappointments, having lost in the final twice i.e 2005 and 2017. "I’m sure this time we will cross this line," adding that the team has learned from past mistakes and is focused on simply "enjoying this moment."
A major boost to India's campaign is the form of Smriti Mandhana. The world's best-ranked ODI batter recently posted scores of 125, 117, and 58 against a visiting Australian side. Harmanpreet praised her teammate, stating, "She’s been great, to be honest... Especially when I’m batting with her, things are quite easy. You don’t need to stress too much because she’s always there to help, and having her is a big strength for us."
Twelve years after the last edition in India was played largely in silence, the current tournament is expected to bring in more crowd and support. The rise of T20 leagues like the WPL and WBBL, coupled with increased broadcast deals and financial investment, has resulted in higher skill levels, with the average run rate and boundary count per over seeing a significant spike.
Similar to the men’s Asia Cup, with ten fixtures, scheduled to be played in Sri Lanka due to geopolitical tensions. Despite being the host nation, India will face a challenge in unfamiliar venues like Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, and Indore. However, skipper Harmanpreet remains unconcerned, stating they have enough data and practice sessions to adjust, emphasizing the need to "be in good space rather than just thinking about too many things."
While Australia, the defending and seven-time champions, start as favorites, captain Alyssa Healy acknowledged that the competition is stronger than ever. "I don’t think it gets any easier... I think this ODI World Cup is going to be one of the strongest ones that I have been a part of." The massive increase in the tournament's prize pool; up almost fourfold from the 2022 edition to US$13.88 million should help add to the optics of the event.
