India’s challenge in the Group of Death begins in earnest when they take on New Zealand in a Group ‘A’ match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup here today. Their performance in the game will largely determine how their campaign pans out in the tournament which they have not won in eight attempts. The positive thing about India is that they have won both their warm-up ties comfortably. The team thus seem in good form and the players are raring to go. Many experts feel this could be India’s moment, following in the footsteps of the men’s team that clinched the T20 World Cup a few months ago. They have entered this tournament ranked third in the world and reached at least the semi-finals of the last three T20 World Cups. All this augurs well for them as they attempt to overcome that final hurdle.  

Carrying hopes of millions  

Experienced captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who has played in all the earlier eight editions beginning in 2009, realises that excessive focus and attention on the team could put her players under pressure. “The weight of expectation has affected the best of teams. We carry the hopes of millions of cricket fans back home. In such a situation we plan to shut out the external factors and concentrate on the action in the middle. Our plan is to enjoy what we do and results will follow,” the skipper said.