The Indian women's cricket team landed in Sri Lanka on Sunday for the limited-overs tour set to begin on June 23. The team is led by Harmanpreet Kaur. And fans are eager to see how the team will perform without senior players like Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami.
The team is scheduled to play three ODIs and three T20 Internationals at Pallekele and Dambulla. The Indian team trained at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and met with NCA head VVS Laxman before leaving.
Captain Kaur said it is a great opportunity to build the team. She said the players are working hard on our team and have great combinations. "For us, it is a good tour to start as it is the first time we are going to play without our seniors". The first match is a T20I at Dambulla on June 23.
Harmanpreet Kaur has been captain of India's T20 team since 2018. She took over leading the team in the 50-over format after Mitali Raj retired from all forms of international cricket.
The Indian squad includes Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma Yastika Bhatia (wk), S Meghna, Deepti Sharma, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Simran Bahadur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Radha Yadav.
She told the media that things will be easier for her now because when there were two different captains, things weren't always easy because there were two different ideas. She added that the players will now think clearly and know what the captain is demanding from them. "Everybody can look forward to that. It is easier for me to ask them what I am expecting from them. So, things will be much easier for me and my teammates also".
The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) coached by Ramesh Powar welcomed the visiting team upon arrival.
"India Women's Team led by Harmanpreet Kaur arrives in Sri Lanka. India and Sri Lanka will play three T20Is in Dambulla on June 23, 25, and 27 followed by as many ODIs on July 1, 4, and 7," tweeted SLC.