Harman & Co. face Eng in triangular series-opener

Canberra, January 30

India will take on England in the women’s triangular series-opener here on Friday, hoping to put the finishing touches to their T20 World Cup preparations.

Matches against England and hosts Australia, two of the world’s top teams, will be an ideal opportunity for India to plug the gaps as they continue their search for ICC tournament silverware despite boasting a team full of talented players. They came close to winning it in the 2017 ODI World Cup, only to lose by nine runs to England in the title clash. A year later, their campaign ended in the semifinals of the World T20 in the West Indies, going down to England again.

Looking at the reverses in the final stages of ICC events, captain Harmanpreet Kaur recently concluded that India lacked when it came to handling pressure. This is an area India will have to work on if they are to triumph in a big tournament.

Chief coach WV Raman, under whom the team has dished out a fearless brand of cricket over the past one year, feels playing in the Tri-series will help his outfit before the T20 World Cup. The mega-event will be played in Australia from February 21 to March 8. India are placed alongside the hosts, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in the group stage. — PTI