Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], December 31 : Following his side's win over Sri Lanka in the final T20I, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur expressed hope that the team will play their best cricket in the next six critical months leading up to next year's ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
After capturing the maiden 50-over World Cup prize, Team India kickstarted their preparations for the T20 World Cup in the UK next year with a 5-0 whitewash against Sri Lanka. India has a tough Group A with Australia, Pakistan, South Africa and two next qualifiers and will start against Pakistan on June 14 at Birmingham.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Harmanpreet said, "2025 has been great for us. All the hard work we have done, this year, we have got the credit. It's about repeating these habits. All of us have played a lot of T20 cricket together. It was about believing we can do that. Sir (coach Amol Muzumdar) spoke about strike rates and lifting the standards. Everyone was happy, and we wanted to set those standards. Going forward, we want to look at this series and think of what we can do ahead."
"As a batter, it is my responsibility to give strength to that order and contribute. Shifting to T20 from ODI wasn't easy, but everyone was excited to play. We fought for this, and I am happy how all things came together. Next is WPL, which is important for all of us. Hopefully, we play our best cricket and enjoy ourselves. The next six months are important, we want to keep working hard and raising the bar."
Shafali, who won the 'Player of the Series' for her fine performance in the series, started her redemption during the World Cup final, scoring a brilliant 87 and since then, has carried that form in T20Is, scoring three fifties this series.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Shafali said, "My work throughout the year has paid off. Sometimes everything you work on comes off, I will work harder and come back the next time. Both are different games. In ODI, you have to play along the ground. T20 is my favourite, day by day I am improving and I will become a better player for the team."
Shafali scored 241 runs across five matches in the series with three fifties. In T20Is, she ends the year with 417 runs in 10 matches at an average of 52.12, with four fifties and a best score of 79*.
Coming to the match, India posted 175/7 after being put to bat first, courtesy a fighting 43-ball 68 (with nine fours and a six) from skipper Harmanpreet after India was reduced to 77/5 and quick cameos from Amanjot Kaur (21 in 18 balls, with a four and a six) and Arundhati Reddy (27* in 11 balls, with four boundaries and a six).
Sri Lanka started the chase well, with fifties from Hasini Perera (65 in 42 balls, with eight fours and a six) and Imesha Dulani (50 in 39 balls, with eight fours) keeping SL in hunt. But a comeback in the second half of defence from India restricted SL to 160/7 in 20 overs.
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