Former India women’s team head coach WV Raman is confident Harmanpreet Kaur & Co are favourites to win their maiden World Cup final against South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
“India will start as favourites tomorrow [Sunday] for the simple reason that this Indian team has been consistent over a period of time. This is a side that has obviously played good cricket in key games. Beating Australia [in the semi-final by five wickets], chasing a huge target [of 339] should have catapulted their confidence sky-high. They will go into this final with a good, strong state of mind,” Raman told Sunday mid-day over the phone from Coimbatore on Saturday.
The former India all-rounder, who played 11 Tests and 27 ODIs and coached the Indian women’s team between 2018 and 2021, however, advised the hosts to remain in the present rather than think about their earlier defeats against SA, Australia and England in the league phase or even the semi-final win over the Aussies. “They should not be worried about the previous result. Those things are in the past now. Even that win against Australia after chasing a record highest target [in semi-final] is history now. Forget everything and get on with this one. Think about playing a good game. Don’t think that it’s a World Cup final as that may have a lot of expectations and there is no need to put yourself under any undue pressure. If they just go and play as calmly as they did against Australia, I’m sure this team will create history,” added Raman.
The former coach warned the Indians about the SA team’s fighting spirit led by the in-form Laura Wolvaardt. “This will be a good final because South Africa has been performing well for the last two-three years in ICC tournaments, both in the men’s and women’s categories. But India are a very formidable side too, so, it’s a fitting finale where a new champion will emerge,” said Raman.
Team India’s star batter and opener Smriti Mandhana, the second highest run-scorer of this tournament so far with 389 runs, managed only 24 against the Aussies in the semi-final, but Raman believes the final could belong to her. “Let’s think positively. Smriti will provide a good platform for the team tomorrow [Sunday] because she has been in good nick in ODIs. It’s not that she hasn’t been among the runs. It’s just that one odd game, where she tends to fail, but tomorrow she will turn it on. The idea is not to think that it’s a big game. Try to enjoy it and do your best,” Raman signed off.