New Delhi [India], September 25 (ANI): The former Australia captain and two-time ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup winner Meg Lanning reflected on the challenges of playing a home World Cup and why India’s opener against Sri Lanka on September 30 could set the tone for their campaign, as per the official website of ICC.
“I think it’s a crucial game for them because it can almost release the pressure a little bit,” Lanning said, as quoted from the official website of ICC.
“If they can play a good solid game up front, get the win on the board, then I think that might just calm them down a little bit. Because yeah, home World Cups, there’ll be obviously a lot of pressure and expectation on them to do well,” she added.
“So if they’re able to set up their tournament really nicely by putting in a solid performance up front, then it makes it easier towards the back end,” she noted.
With the added emotion of a home campaign for India, Lanning noted the magnitude of the opening contest.
This is the fourth time the marquee ICC event is taking place in India, following the editions in 1978, 1997 and 2013. While India are yet to claim a Women’s World Cup trophy, they’ve finished as the runners-up on two occasions in 2005 and 2017.
“The first game of the World Cup and your home World Cup as well for India is always a really big and special moment. There’s a really big build up so both sides will be looking to get off to a good start,” Lanning said.
She also pointed to the battle between the spin attacks of both teams as a potentially decisive factor in the tournament opener.
India boast a rich variety in the spin department in the squad, with ICC No. 7-ranked ODI bowler Deepti Sharma leading the charge, along with Sneh Rana, Radha Yadav and newcomer Sree Charani providing strong support.
For Sri Lanka, Inoka Ranaweera, with her vast experience, will be the leading tweaker in the squad with able support from skipper Chamari Athapaththu, who will also provide variation and control with her off-spin.
Alongside the experienced pair, Sugandika Dasanayaka’s left-arm orthodox will be central to their prospects, with young all-rounders Dewmi Vihanga and Kaveesha Dilhari adding further depth to the attack through their off-spin.
“Both sides have got some very skillful bowlers in their spin attacks and that could play a really crucial role, not only in the first game but also throughout the tournament,” she noted.
“They play against each other a lot, which sort of adds to the contest. But yeah, there’s some really skillful players there,” she added.
With eight teams competing for four semi-final spots, the 33-year-old emphasised the value of banking early points, even if the performances aren’t perfect.
“The group stages at World Cups are just about qualifying for the semis and so you don’t need to play your best cricket but you do need to win. So the key for the sides is to just be able to fight their way through,” she said.
Drawing on her own World Cup-winning experiences in 2013 and 2022, Lanning underlined that not every win needed to be ‘pretty’ – just timely.
“I think in every World Cup that I’ve played there was a game or two where we had to scrape our way through and get the win,” she noted.
“It certainly wasn’t pretty but if you can actually just get those wins on board and then sort of try and get yourself together for the back end of the tournament, then that’s how you win 50-over World Cups,” Lanning said.
India begin their World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka in Guwahati on 30 September.
India squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana (vc), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh, Yastika Bhatia, Renuka Singh Thakur, Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Sree Charani, Radha Yadav, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud.
Reserves: Tejal Hasabnis, Prema Rawat, Priya Mishra, Uma Chetry, Minnu Mani, Sayali Satghare. (ANI)
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