Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana on Tuesday stated that the only information she could provide about the Indian women’s cricket team’s preparations for the T20 World Cup next month is that the players are in good shape for the 12-team competition.
ODI World Cup winners India will play their tournament opener against bitter rivals Pakistan on June 14. The women’s T20 World Cup will take place in England and Wales starting on June 12.
“The camp has gone well and I would like to keep it at that. I would not like to say any specifics of what we have worked on because we are heading to a World Cup. But what I would say is that all the girls are looking in good shape, they have been practicing really well and a lot of hard work has gone behind it,” PTI quoted Mandhana as saying in Mumbai.
The 15-man Indian team will go to England on May 22 for a three-match Twenty20 International series against the hosts before to the World Cup, following a training camp at the Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru.
“We are prepping for the World Cup and we will leave for a series before it. The preparations have been going well and I hope that we keep working hard and make India proud and bring the cup back home,” Mandhana said.
While interacting with school-going children, Mandhana stated that it is crucial for the younger generation to understand that there are professional options in sports.
“The questions that they ask at that age, I would not (have) known what they are asking. They really want to know what we go through which is extremely nice,” Mandhana said.
“For me it’s very important to give them a message firstly how sports and cricket have a career and you can actually make a career out of it.
“The other important thing for me which I try and tell is to enjoy the process and what they do…I just really want all the kids to enjoy and follow their passion so that’s one message that I give to the young kids,” she added.
