'We used to get scared very quickly': Harmanpreet Kaur says Indian team has started playing 'brave cricket' now

Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur in press conference (Screengrab: X)
Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur in press conference (Screengrab: X)

Highlights:

Harmanpreet Kaur scored a half-century in the previous game.

Harmanpreet feels playing brave cricket has pulled the fans to the stadiums.

India women's cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur has opened up about the aggressive approach by players in the last seven to eight years. Harmanpreet who made her international debut in 2009 admits that the players "used to get scared very quickly" when things did not go according to their plan. Now, the players have adopted a brave approach which has forced fans to flock to the stadiums.
 

"In the last 7-8 years, our team's performance has been very good. Even before that, we used to play cricket, but we weren't able to win so many tournaments, and we weren't able to play such impressive cricket. So we always discuss that if there are two options, we will always choose the aggressive option. Before, it felt like we were playing a little scared cricket," Harmanpreet told Star Sports.
 

"When things didn't go according to our plan, we used to get scared very quickly, but now we play a little brave cricket, so we make brave decisions. With time, we have forced people to come to the stadium through our performance."

 

ALSO READ: Rahul Dravid set for IPL return as head coach of this franchise after long absence: Report
 

India’s unbeaten run in Asia Cup

India started their Women's Asia Cup T20 2024 campaign with a convincing seven-wicket win over Pakistan. They followed it up with another dominant display. India broke the 200-run barrier for the first time and beat United Arab Emirates (UAE) by a massive margin of 78 runs. 

 

ALSO READ: Sri Lanka announce 16-member squad for T20I series against India, LPL's third-highest run-scorer makes comeback
 

Harmanpreet’s form

Harmanpreet has been in fine form as well. She scored 66 runs against UAE and shared a crucial partnership with Richa Ghosh who went ballistic in the slog overs. Harmanpreet registered the highest score by a captain in the tournament's history which was broken by Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu with a century on July 22.
 

India’s next clash in group stage

Defending champions India have already qualified for the semifinals. They are on top of the points table. India are scheduled to face Nepal in their last group stage match on July 23. They will play in the semifinal on July 26.
 

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