First game always sets the tone, says Harmanpreet Kaur

Harmanpreet Kaur has been one constant for India’s remarkable resurgence in women’s cricket. The 37-year-old feels she is grateful to be leading the country in yet another major ICC tournament.

Harmanpreet sounded confident, too, on the eve of India’s opening T20 World Cup match against Pakistan at Edgbaston here on Sunday. She believes a win is important in the first match.

“That first game always sets the tone for you, and all of us are looking forward to the match,” she said. “We want to go to the tournament with the same positive attitude ahead of the last ODI World Cup.”

She would not deny the pressure that is there ahead of a match against Pakistan. “I have experienced that pressure from the time I started watching cricket as a supporter, and now that I am playing, there is more pressure,” Harmanpreet said. “But we tell each other that it is always better to enjoy these games. And more than anything else, it is just another game.”

There was the inevitable question at the press conference about the handshake with the Pakistan players.

“We are here for cricket and we don’t talk about anything else,” she replied.

Harmanpreet talked at length about Richa Ghosh’s superb innings against England in the warm-up match. “We were waiting for Richa to get her confidence back,” she said. “She is a key player, a game-changer for us. After that match, she is looking really good. One good innings always gives you a lot of confidence”.