Indian women's cricket team hungry for wins, says skipper Harmanpreet Kaur

Indian women cricketers are "hungry for more" after a string of impressive victories, with captain Harmanpreet Kaur saying a winning culture is taking shape as they head into the Asia Cup in the UAE and Asian Games in Japan.

Fresh from winning the first-ever women's Test match at Lord's by defeating England last month, India will now turn their attention to the UAE Asia Cup T20, where they are record seven-time champions, before embarking on their title defence at the Asian Games in Japan.

"We of course expect to win. Our team has been playing very good cricket," the India skipper, who guided India to a historic Test win against England at the iconic Lord's recently, told Sony Sports.

"The last 4-5 years has been good and where we have played good cricket, dominating cricket, have defeated big teams and won series also."

The Kaur-led side had sealed a huge 270-run win over England at Lord's, marking India's second-highest win by margin of runs in Women's Tests, the fourth biggest overall.

"Now, we are coming after the win at Lord’s and have also won many games on the trot, so the team has already tasted success and will be hungry for more."

In the upcoming Asia Cup, beginning Friday, India share Group A with arch-rivals Pakistan in the eight-team tournament.

After losing the last edition to Sri Lanka, India will look to reclaim the trophy, riding high on their recent Lord’s triumph.

"The best thing is, everybody in the team talks about how to win a match, how to win tournaments. So when you have that kind of culture, you always feel motivated and you and you really look forward to go for any tournament.

"So this (Asia Cup) tournament is very important and I am sure we will play as a team and once again will make our country proud," said Harmanpreet.

"I think the biggest challenge is when you have the ‘good team’ tag, playing for those expectations is in itself a very big challenge because we know we dominate Asian cricket and it’s very important to play every match with that domination," she opined.

On the hype surrounding India-Pakistan clashes, Harmanpreet said the pressure is on another level, something players can genuinely feel despite being accustomed to high-intensity competitive cricket.

"No doubt it’s a high-pressure game and as a player you need to deal with multiple things. We keep playing international cricket but the amount of pressure in a India vs Pakistan match, that kind of pressure you don’t feel anywhere else.

"Somewhere we know every Indian is watching, not only cricket fans but every Indian is watching because that match is so important for all of us.

"As a captain and as a player I try to keep things very simple, very easy. Only focus on cricket, focus on our aims, focus on our routines."

Harmanpreet said winning a gold medal for the country is a special honour for any cricketer, with the Asian Games offering a different feeling from ICC events as every player receives an individual medal.

India made their Asian Games debut in Hangzhou, winning gold, and will now chase another top finish.

"As a cricketer I think this is a very big opportunity because before this we have mostly played ICC tournaments but have not fought for a medal because as a team we have always fought for any particular trophy.

"This is one such moment where you get your own medal and I think when it’s about the medals, the motivation increases even more. Day and night we keep thinking how will we feel after winning the medal and how we will celebrate.

"It also gives the chance to witness other sports, meet other players, understand their routines so it’s not just only about cricket but knowing your other sports fellows also on how they prepare," added the gold-winning Indian skipper at Hangzhou."

Harmanpreet acknowledged the weight of expectations at the Asian Games but said the team would remain focused on the task at hand, with preparations progressing in the right direction.

"Yes definitely, the last time we had played very dominating cricket and one-sided contests so there will be expectations from us to play that kind of cricket again.

"I’m sure the country is looking forward that one gold medal is coming from cricket, so I know pressure is going to be there but at the same time focusing on your job and how to achieve that job is more important."

Reflecting on India’s historic Lord’s win, Harmanpreet said: "Playing a Test match in Lord’s is a big dream for any cricketer. For me also, it was a very big dream and to lead the team is an even bigger dream."

"I think, before this I have played just 4-5 Tests but the feeling of playing at Lord’s it was totally different. I think, till now, thinking about those four days we had lived, we are still talking about it."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Bridge Desk. It is published from a syndicated feed.)