Waiting for a month to go to field: Harmanpreet ahead of T20I series against SL

Visakhapatnam, Dec 20 (PTI) The ODI World Cup is done and dusted and the Indian team has been waiting for on-field action for a while to begin preparations for next year's T20 showpiece, captain Harmanpreet Kaur said on Saturday ahead of the first match against Sri Lanka here.

India face the islanders in the first of the five-match T20I series on Sunday, more than a month after the historic ODI World Cup win at home under Harmanpreet.

"It was hectic (after the ODI World Cup win), but I want these kind of schedules after every World Cup, so I don't mind that. But yeah, looking forward for this series, we have been waiting for a month when we will go to the field because end of the day we enjoy ourselves on the field," Harmanpreet said at the pre-match press conference.

"So tomorrow, we are going to start our first game, really looking forward for that. It's a very important series for us and hopefully we all give our best shot." Asked about the presence of a few youngsters in the team, Harmanpreet said, "Our end goal is the next T20 World Cup in next six months and before that we want to play a lot of T20 cricket.

"From tomorrow it's going to start and some new players in the team, it's the right time to give them a fair chance to understand how we have to go in the next World Cup. So yeah, it's a very important series for all of us and we just want to play with free mindset and play how we have been playing T20 cricket from last couple of years." She reckoned that Sri Lanka's is a balanced side, strong in batting and spin departments.

"Sri Lanka team has a very balanced side, especially their batting. Their batting is, because Chumari is someone, you know, they are highly dependent but the players around her play a very big role.

"Their spin attack is quite good, they have been dominating Asian conditions. So yeah, we know their strength, we know their weakness, now it's only about, we should think how we can give our best against them and our focus is on that." Having won the ODI World Cup, the Indian team will play with a "peaceful mind" in the upcoming assignments, Harmanpreet said.

"(Before World Cup win) We were going everywhere without trophy and without people calling us world champions, but this time inside that feeling was there, that satisfaction was there, we were happy, we were peaceful, we were humble, we were grateful that this time there is no talks one day that day will come when this team will become world champions.

"It's small lines, but a lot of hard work and a lot of things were behind that, so I mean this time we went with more pride, we went with more peaceful mind, but last time when we were doing all this press conference and all media event, but that thing was there when this team will win the World Cup, but this time we went with full enjoyment, we were there fully, we were able to enjoy more than the previous one." PTI PDS PDS AT AT