As the Indian women's cricket team's T20 World Cup preparations in full swing in the UAE, all efforts are being made to sharpen the squad's mental toughness. Women's Selection Committee chairperson Neetu David said that during the preparatory camp conducted for the team, a sports psychologist featured in the schedule of events with the aim of fortifying the players' mental strength for the mega tournament.
India was disappointed after the team lost a recent cricket match in the Asia Cup final held in July, in which they failed to clinch the eighth trophy, the team faced criticism. Neetu David explained that this experience prompted discussions on the need for a different approach. “After the Asia Cup final, we decided to prioritize mental strength,” she shared during the pre-departure press conference. “Our recent camp was dedicated to fitness and fielding, with no emphasis on skills. Instead, we brought in a psychologist to help build the players' resilience, and I’m pleased with the results.”
India T20 World Cup schedule commences with the warm up games against West Indies and South Africa before the India Vs New Zealand game on 4th October. Indian Women’s Cricket Team, led by captain Harmanpreet Kaur, eager to overcome their recent adversities and see themselves as rightful contenders to the Australian dominance.
Other participants such as Harmapreet shared similar sentiments as Neetu adding that the team does not lack confidence and was fully aware that it could beat any team in the world including the Australians. They have a very good team indeed and I always look forward to playing against them. But they know that we can fight them,” the captain boldly asserted with a lot of confidence as expected from a captain. In our previous games, we have been able to prove that we are capable of defeating them on any given date. Our approach remains to perform well in each of the games, maintain mental preparedness, and strive for improvement.
The upcoming tournament has enormous stakes for India as the last time they reached the T20 World Cup final in 2020 where they suffered an humiliating 85-run defeat against Australia. India also performed fairly well in the 2023 version but unfortunately they were eliminated in the semifinals by the Australians.
Mental readiness and a deep pool of talent given by “A” tournaments were what rejuvenated the team led by Neetu David and Harmanpreet Kaur, who are now confident to make their impact at the international level. The test now is to keep their shape, be it physically and psychologically, in order to face some of the best teams in the footballing world.
