It's about enjoying the moment and not taking too much pressure: India skipper Harmanpreet

Bengaluru, Sep 26 (PTI) India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur knows that fans have placed heaps of expectations on her side ahead of the upcoming ICC Women's ODI World Cup at home, and she wants to enjoy the moment without succumbing to the pressure to land a maiden title.

India will start their campaign in the tournament with a match against Sri Lanka on October 30 at Guwahati.

"I think leading your country is always a very special moment for any player, but leading your country in ODI World Cup is even more special, and on top of that, it is a home World Cup, so it's even more special," Harmanpreet said during a captains' press meet organised by the ICC.

"I mean, it's unbelievable because, you know, when I started playing I never even thought I would get the opportunity to lead my country, it was only in a dream.

"The ODI World Cup is happening after 12 years (at home), and I think it is going to be very amazing for all of us. It's all about enjoying this moment and not taking too much pressure," she added.

India will come up against arch-rivals Pakistan at Colombo on October 5, but Harmanpreet wanted to focus on cricket rather than worrying about the political connotations of the match.

The recent Indo-Pak contests in the ongoing Asia Cup at the UAE saw some heated moments when some players engaged in over-the-top celebrations and verbal altercations.

"Well, we can only control one thing which is playing cricket on the field and we are not thinking of other things. Because as cricketers, we can only control the things we have in our hand. But in other parts, I have zero control and I don't even take those things into my mind.

"We don't even discuss those things in the dressing room. We are only here to play cricket and our focus is only on cricket," she said.

India will be tough to beat: Healy ===================== Talking about pressure, Australian captain Alyssa Healy will have a rich legacy to live up to.

Defending champions Australia have seven trophies in their cabinet, and is that record a millstone around her neck? "I don't think it's quite in Australian culture to get too complacent about things at any point in time. And I don't think it gets any easier. I think India in their home conditions are going to be really, really tough to beat.

"I think this ODI World Cup is going to be one of the strongest ones that I have been a part of. As a skipper, I'm really looking forward to that challenge of going out there and competing against some of the best teams in the world," said Healy.

Australia recently beat India 2-1 in an ODI series at the latter's home to underline their preparations for the ICC showpiece.

Healy said the rubber taught her side the need to ward off the pressure during the entire duration of the game.

"The wicket's pretty flat. That's probably my key takeaway. But I think it's going to be about who can hold the composure the longest in this tournament and handle the pressure for long periods of time.

"I think if the wickets are going to play as flat as what they were in that series, then you're going to have to sustain pressure at different points in time and put it back on the opposition. So that's probably my key takeaway," she noted.

Self-belief is there: Devine ================= For New Zealand captain Sophie Devine, the focus on India and Australia suited just fine as her side can play some fearless cricket during the event.

"I'm not sure there's too much expectation. I think people have mentioned it and you can keep talking about how we won the (T20) World Cup last year, but this is a completely different format. But we've got to take the learnings that we took from Dubai last year.

"And I think that has given confidence certainly to the younger players to have that self-belief and I guess the awareness that they can achieve it at this level. But we know in international cricket, if you stand still, you're going to get overtaken super quickly.

"So for us, it's all about continuing to try and evolve and get better and make sure we stay true to our roots in terms of what we think is going to be successful in these conditions," said Devine.

I learnt to compartmentalise: Brunt ====================== Nat-Sciver Brunt will have to handle the dual responsibilities of being the captain of England and their premier batter, but the blazing right-hander is quite ready for the task.

"I've sort of learnt to compartmentalise different parts of the game. I think when you go out there as a batter, you're really trying to focus on the ball that's coming down. I don't really want too much more noise than that in my head.

"And then, you know, as soon as you get off the field, you start thinking a lot more about the game. But yeah, it's still a learning curve for me. And yeah, I think you have to learn different things from each game that I play," said Brunt.

Captains of Pakistan (Fatima Sana), Sri Lanka (Chamari Athapathuthu), South Africa (Laura Wolvaardt) and Bangladesh (Nigar Sultana Jotti) attended the press meet online.

Athapathuthu said the Lankans are not under any pressure ahead of facing favourites India in the tournament opener in Guwahati.

"They are very good players. I know they are playing at home, so we will be going there as a bit of underdogs. But we have beaten them a couple of times in the past in the Asia Cup and then in a series, so it's all about playing well on that given day," she said. PTI UNG UNG AH AH