In-form Harmanpreet promises to be ‘there for my team’ at the biggest stage

Loss in 2017 final not important, “right now it’s all about momentum and that’s on our side,” she says of taking on England

“Big tournaments are very important and your role is more important, you need to take more responsibility and perform for your team. Maybe that’s the reason [I do well in World Cups],” she said a day before India’s game against England in Mount Maunganui. “I always want to give my best for the team but sometimes, things don’t go your way. But I’ll make sure whenever we play the World Cup, I’ll be there for my team.”

“We want to live in the present and focus on the good things we’ve done rather than think about past results”

Harmanpreet Kaur on playing against England

Harmanpreet agreed that backing herself was the key to playing such big innings. “Sometimes, I just need to back myself and that’s what I’ve been doing, like before this West Indies game, and the New Zealand game,” she said. “When I bat with Smriti and someone who is already settled, it’s always easy for me to settle there and that’s what I enjoyed the other day.”

“The greatest thing was before the World Cup, we got a five-ODI series against New Zealand, and one T20,” she said. “Because of that, we got that momentum and got used to these conditions, and that is the reason which is helping us perform well.”

The only aspect of India’s game that Harmanpreet was wary of was losing wickets in clusters, which has happened consistently. They were 112 for 5 against Pakistan, 95 for 5 against New Zealand, and 78 for 3 against West Indies, before the lower-middle order rescued them.

“Sometimes, we are losing back-to-back wickets and if we can work on that… otherwise, things are the way we want them,” she said. “Now is the time we just need to stay relaxed and enjoy the situation, because sometimes, that helps you perform better.”