India have depth, role clarity; chances bright at home World Cup: Harmanpreet

Guwahati, Sep 29 (PTI) India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur is confident her team has a strong chance of lifting the World Cup, and her optimism goes beyond just home advantage.

Harmanpreet's confidence stems from the fact that India recently defeated seven-time world champions Australia at home for the first time since 2007 in the build up to the World Cup commencing here Tuesday and gave a scare to formidable visitors while chasing a mammoth 413 in the series-deciding third ODI.

"Chance toh kaafi zyada hai to be honest (We have genuine chance). I'm not saying this because we are going to have the home advantage," the skipper said ahead of the tournament-opener against Sri Lanka.

"The amount of cricket we have played and the results we have got in the recent past shows we have depth in our game, whether it's in batting or bowling. We have improved in a lot of areas.

"So the chances are there, but tomorrow is our first game so the main focus is on starting well and setting the tone for us, that is something we are looking forward to.

"It is a very exciting moment for us and I just want all of us to stay in a very positive frame of mind where we can give our best." This will be Harmanpreet's fifth World Cup, but the 36-year-old will be leading India in an ODI World Cup for the first time.

Calling it a childhood dream come true, she said the moment is personally very special.

"I have been leading for so many years now, especially in the T20 World Cups. This is my first opportunity where I am going to lead in ODIs. I do have experience of how things work in ICC events, but it was one of my dreams to lead my team in an ODI World Cup. So me and my team will give our best to win this World Cup." Since India's last appearance at the T20 showpiece, the team has not just focussed more on 50-over cricket but also stitched together key wins by posting 300-plus totals consistently, something Harmanpreet believes has created a lot of belief.

"We played more ODI cricket for sure after the last T20 World Cup and we have won more matches. Many times we have hit more than 300 on the board. There are many positives, that is something which is going to give us a lot of confidence now when we are going to play the World Cup." She further said there is role clarity among the players.

"There is more clarity if I talk about batting and bowling that is something as a captain they should know, their role, when they need to perform. We have created so many magic moments for women's cricket and definitely it has given us confidence to do well in ODI cricket." India last hosted a women’s World Cup 12 years ago. This time, Harmanpreet stressed that there is no extra pressure, only excitement to perform before home fans.

"This World Cup is going to happen after 12 years but no pressure at all. We all are doing really well, we tried to tick all the boxes in the practice games we played. We all are very excited that we are getting this opportunity to play in the World Cup at home. Nothing more we can ask as cricketers." If the past few years are any indication, she expects crowds to rally behind them.

"In the past 3-4 years we have seen packed stadiums whenever we played in home conditions. Not only in India, even when we were playing outside India, they were also coming and supporting us. I think they have been supporting us all the time no matter what the performances were. They are always coming and cheering us.

"So home conditions and home World Cup is always very special, and I am sure they are going to come here and support us throughout this tournament. We will try to create special memories for both sides," she signed off. PTI TAP AT AT