Former England captain Nasser Hussain said that Harmanpreet Kaur has a fantastic World Cup record, and it`s time that the Indian women`s cricket team skipper delivers like Australian captain Alyssa Healy.
“Like I said, Harmanpreet has a fantastic World Cup record. The bigger the game, just like Alyssa Healy, in the last couple of games before the match against India, the stats had come off a little bit, but in the two big games, she suddenly delivers. I expect the same from the Indian captain, really,” Hussain said on JioHotstar.
In the ongoing ODI Women`s World Cup 2025, Harmanpreet has scored just 71 runs in four matches. On the other hand, Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal have scored 134 and 180 runs, respectively.
Harmanpreet Kaur-led Team India will face England in their upcoming clash in the global showpiece.
The former cricketer also spoke about Harleen Deol, who has been delivering consistent performances for the side in the tournament. According to Nasser, the Indian team is also not very reliant on its opening duo.
“I think Harleen (Deol) has been okay; she has been consistent. I saw a tweet the other day comparing strike rates. I would just say to be careful when comparing strike rates. When you are batting in the powerplay and opening in the powerplay, your strike rate would be higher compared to middle-order batters,” he said.
“So, just be careful when comparing strike rates. I don`t think India are over reliant on their openers,” added the 57-year-old former cricketer.
In the ODI Women`s World Cup 2025, Australia have already sealed the semi-final berth. Team India, England, South Africa and New Zealand are in the race for the remaining three spots of the semi-finals.
If the “Women in Blue” manage to secure victories against England and New Zealand, they will then eventually seal the semi-final spot.
India`s squad for ODI Women`s World Cup 2025: Harmanpreet Kaur (Capt), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Richa Ghosh (WK), Kranti Gaud, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (WK) and Sneh Rana.
(With PTI Inputs)