Kaur relishing ‘special day’ as India gear up for World Cup final
Media release
Harmanpreet Kaur insists India will be “fully charged up” as her side chase a historic maiden ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup triumph on Sunday.
Jemimah Rodrigues struck a sensational unbeaten 127, which, alongside her captain’s 89, ensured India chased down a women’s ODI world-record target of 339 to defeat seven-time world champions Australia in the semi-finals.
And after South Africa’s dominant 125-run victory over England in the first of the semi-finals, it means there will be a new winner of the game’s biggest prize – with it also being the first ever final not to feature either Australia or England.
India have twice reached the global showpiece, losing comfortably to Australia in 2005 before narrowly missing out against England by nine runs at Lord’s eight years ago.
But Kaur believes the pain of coming up short in the past will be a key driver in her country’s quest to deliver success in front of what will be a rapturous home crowd in Navi Mumbai.
“We know how it feels to lose, but we are really looking forward to see how it feels after we win,” she said. “Hopefully, this day tomorrow will be special for us. We will give our best and play our best cricket. It's about giving everything tomorrow for the team.
“Playing the final match of the World Cup, I don't think there can be a bigger motivation than this.
“The entire team is fully charged up. They are standing with each other and are giving each other prayers and blessings. That shows how much this team is with each other and how ready we are for this match.”
India only confirmed their place in the knockout stage by beating New Zealand in their penultimate group stage match, having previously lost to all three of Australia, England and South Africa – the competition’s three other semi-finalists.
However, Kaur explained her team was never worried by the prospect of having to beat two teams they had previously lost to in order to be crowned world champions, and pointed to team unity as a crucial factor in their progress.
She continued: “We didn't shake up the team once, even though we had three big losses. After that everyone was together, and we were all saying that we still have a great opportunity to reach the final.
“That positive mindset has helped us reach the final. Some teams win; some lose. But at the end of the day, it's about how we reach the end.”
While India will be contesting their third final, South Africa will be in their first, but Kaur won’t be taking the Proteas, who beat them earlier in the tournament courtesy of Nadine de Klerk’s thrilling 84 not out, for granted.
She added: “The way they came back into this tournament, I think that's outstanding to watch. We know that they have a good bowling attack and at the same time there is a lot of depth in their batting. But our team has also got a lot of positives.”
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