Colombo, April 26 (IANS) India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said she is personally excited to see how young left-arm spinner N Shree Charani fares in the upcoming ODI tri-series, where the side will face hosts Sri Lanka in the opening game at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.
Hailing from YSR Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh, Charani grabbed attention by picking four wickets in two games for Delhi Capitals (DC) in WPL 2025, where her ability to control run flow and outsmart batters in middle overs stood out. She later picked nine wickets in three games of the Senior Women’s Multi-Day Challenger Trophy in Dehradun, before getting a maiden call-up to the Indian team.
“Charani is someone who really impressed in the WPL and we have been looking forward for some left-arm spinner who can really do well for the team. I’m personally very excited to see how she’s going to do in this particular tournament,” said Harmanpreet in the pre-series press conference on Saturday.
The tri-series, which has South Africa as the third team, marks the start of a crucial leg for India to zero on their final squad for the home ODI World Cup, happening later this year. “This series is very important for us going forward to the World Cup and I think it’s a great opportunity for us playing against one of the best teams in the world and getting that experience.”
“I think this tournament definitely will give us a lot of confidence in going forward and playing in home conditions. It’s a great initiative that before the World Cup, we are getting a very similar kind of feeling where you have to play against different teams and keep looking at your run rate and points table – these things play a very big role when you are playing in the World Cup.”
“So that is something which is really going to help the team and really happy that we got this opportunity, especially in Sri Lanka because we are going to get the same kind of atmosphere in ODI World Cup in India,” elaborated Harmanpreet.
She also backed her team’s experienced players to lead the way for India to excel in conditions in Colombo. “Well the last time when we came here for Asia Cup, that was T20 format and it’s ODI format now. I think we have a lot of experience in our side. We have been playing cricket for a long time together and definitely our team’s experience will help us.”
“I know these conditions are very similar to Indian conditions especially if I talk about the heat and if the ball will start turning on the surface. I think we are very used to these things when we play at home and I think that experience will definitely help us to perform well against both teams.”
Colombo is going to be hit by inclement weather during the tri-series and with humidity already on a high, Harmanpreet signed off by stressing on importance of hydration provided rain stays away during their day games.
“As we all know heat is going to play a big role, it’s very important to keep ourselves hydrated, which is going to be the key. It’s because for the last 3-4 months we have been playing only night games and after a long time we are going to play day games. Keeping ourselves fresh and hydrated is going to be key and I will be giving it a lot of importance there because skill is something which is going to remain the same.”
–IANS
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