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Be in the moment: Yuvraj Singh's golden advice for India ahead of Women's World Cup

Be in the moment: Yuvraj Singh's golden advice for India ahead of Women's World Cup

India Today5 hours ago
Legendary all-rounder Yuvraj Singh reflected on his experience of playing a home World Cup as he offered advice to the Harmanpreet Kaur-led India women's team ahead of the Women's World Cup on home soil. Speaking at a special '50 days to go' event in Mumbai, attended by ICC chief Jay Shah, captain Harmanpreet Kaur, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and batter Jemimah Rodrigues, Yuvraj shared his insights.advertisementYuvraj urged the Indian women's team, who will enter the one-day World Cup as one of the favourites, to stay present and focus on the process rather than the results. The legendary all-rounder, who won the Player of the Tournament award during India's historic victory in 2011, said there is no escaping the pressure of expectations when playing in front of home crowds.India, who reached the final of the 2017 Women's World Cup, failed to progress beyond the group stages in 2022. However, the team enters the home tournament in good form, having won four of their last five bilateral series, including a recent away series victory in England in July.
'I feel it's a great opportunity to create history. But that doesn't mean that from the start, you think you're going to win it. You have to experience the whole enigma of it. You have to focus on the process, and the results will come,' Yuvraj said, as quoted by the International Cricket Council.'I think [the women's team] lost a couple of finals. We've been there. It's really important that you enjoy this moment. Be in the moment rather than thinking too far ahead," he said.ADDED PRESSURE AT HOME?India failed to make it out of the group stages the last time the ODI World Cup was played at home in 2013. However, they made the semifinals in 1997.'The fans are always wanting fours and sixes, or wickets. That's the game. They come to watch. They want entertainment. They want to be entertained,' he added.'But the point is that if you want to win the World Cup, you have to be in the kind of situation we were in, I think. There will be times when they're going to feel that pressure.''There will be times when things aren't going to go well. And that's when experience and self-belief have to take over — the belief that I can be the player in this moment. I think every time you walk onto the field, you have to believe that.'India will head to Australia for a three-match series between 14 and 20 September before returning home. Harmanpreet and her side will face England and South Africa in two warm-up matches before their World Cup opener against Australia.advertisementStar opener Smriti Mandhana said the team has worked not only on skills but also on the big-match temperament required to excel in high-pressure tournaments.'The mindset has changed over the last two or three years. There's a calmness with which I want to go about things on the field,' Smriti said.'Our whole team is heading in that direction. We know where we want to work hard. And when we enter the field, we know we just have to implement,' she added.Mandhana also emphasised that the side is focusing on staying in the present rather than aiming for specific milestones.'Whenever we've done well on the field, everything else has taken care of itself. We are preparing really, really well. We've had a preparation camp, an England tour, and one tour ahead of the World Cup. To be honest, that's the only thing we are thinking about.'- EndsYou May Also Like
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