CWG 2022: India Cricket team to take one game at time

BIRMINGHAM: India cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur said they will be taking one game at a time in Commonwealth Games 2022 with the aim to win the whole tournament.

The Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 is being held from July 28 to August 8. The Indian women's cricket team arrived in Birmingham on Monday.

"We will take one game at a time. Have plans for every team but we're focusing on the first game as of now," said Harmanpreet Kaur in the pre-match press conference. India's campaign in CWG will start with a game against Australia which will be followed by a match against arch-rivals Pakistan.

"All the things are important, winning all the games are important in a tournament like this especially. The first game will set the nerve for the whole tournament," she added.

The team will also be playing on Edgbaston for the first time which has been a happy hunting ground for the Indian team all this time. It will be interesting to see if the women's team can replicate the same performance.

Talking about the pitch at the ground, the captain said, "Couldn't practice on pitch, only on nets. It has very nice batting tracks. Good for both batters and bowlers,"

Two of the Indian players suffered COVID and could not fly to Birmingham for practice with the rest of the team. The team management is waiting on the update of the players before bringing in the reserves for the games. The two players are Pooja and Meghna.

"We still have a balanced side if we shuffle it we can have a good combination of batting and bowling," said Harampreet.

"Things are looking well, had 3 practice sessions ahead of the game. Everyone is looking in great form and looking for the match. Everyone is in great shape," she continued.

The first matchup between India and Australia will be very important for both teams as a win can always set the team up for a good campaign. With the second match against Pakistan, which will be very exciting for the fans.

"India-Pakistan matchups are always exciting but as a player matchups does not excite you the only thing that matters is your performance and how you execute on the play," the captain said.

The Indian team will be getting special attention during this time because it will be the first time they'll be appearing in a multi-sport event like CWG.

Women's T20I cricket is making its debut at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this year, with the top eight teams competing for the gold medal.