Harmanpreet Kaur believes that having each other’s back in difficult times is the key to overcome a challenging phase and move on.
And, by her own admission, her team has done just that following its embarrassing ODI series defeat against Australia, earlier this week. “When you have very less time, it’s very difficult to come back and reflect on the things which we have done in the past but at the same time, it’s important to keep talking about the positives,” Harmanpreet said on Saturday, ahead of India’s women’s T20I series against the West Indies.
“The young girls who have come in the team have done really well in the domestic circuit – they have got a lot of runs, so they are also positive and you know, they are batting really well. So, it’s about talking to them… Staying together is something which is very important and which we have been doing,” the captain stated.
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The selectors have dropped fast bowler Arundhati Reddy from India’s white-ball squads, and have handed maiden call-ups to Nandini Kashyap and Raghvi Bist for the T20Is. Talking about their inclusion, Harmanpreet said, “Both of them have done really well in the Challenger Trophy, which we just played few days back and that’s why they have got the opportunity and I can only say that for them, it’s a great platform and I hope they will do really well for the team…”
Uttarakhand’s stumper-batter Kashyap was the leading run-scorer for her team in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy this year, with 247 runs in seven innings, including an unbeaten 117 against Pondicherry.
Bist scored three consecutive half-centuries during India A’s one-dayers against Australia A in August in Mackay. In the Senior Women’s T20 Challenger Trophy, she featured for the E team and hammered a 51-ball 71 in the final against Team A.