'We hope to continue what our U19 team did'- Harmanpreet Kaur ahead of Women's 20-20 World Cup opener vs Pakistan

Harmanpreet Kaur talks before the game vs PAK (Source: Twitter)

The Women's 20-20 World Cup kicked off on Friday, with the hosts South Africa taking on Sri Lanka in a nail-biting game narrowly clinched by the Lankan women. On day two -a doubleheader- England and Australia registered their first wins of the tournament against West Indies and New Zealand, respectively. However, the most anticipated game is scheduled for Sunday, with arch-rivals India and Pakistan going against each other.

Ahead of the tournament's start, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur opened up on her expectations out of the premier tournament in South Africa especially highlighting the recent win of the India Women U19 side's 20-over World Cup success in South Africa in January.

Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma also expressed their views ahead of the game

"It feels good that two of our players got the taste of how it feels after winning a World Cup trophy. Their experience and feelings will motivate others. We hope to continue what our U19 team did," she said in a video posted by Cricket's apex body. "I feel that a single player can only win you a game or two. That is why I keep talking to all the players, to keep them comfortable," the Indian skipper added.

She wasn't the only one to express her view before the high-octave tournament opener against neighbours Pakistan; star batter Smriti Mandhana also remarked about the U19 side's recent success. "It is something we are trying to bring for the Indian team for a very long time. We came really close previously but could not achieve it. To see the girls go over the line (during U19 T20 WC) was emotional," added Mandhana.

19-year-old explosive batter Shafali Verma was the next one to comment, saying, "That tournament is very close to my heart. It was my first-ever World Cup. We cannot say that we lost since we won the hearts of millions of fans. It was a very good tournament, and I got a lot of motivation out of it. We will try to win each of our games, and we want to win the World Cup."