Mithali Raj backs India women to lift T20 World Cup in UAE conditions
The Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 will commence on October 3 in the United Arab Emirates. India, placed in Group A, will be grappling with New Zealand in their first league game. Notably, the event was shifted from Bangladesh to UAE due to ongoing political tensions.
The venue change has also brought several tactical shifts within the team. The UAE decks known to assist spinners made Sri Lanka drop a pacer. India, though, has stuck with their squad, and former India skipper Mithali Raj has said that conditions in the UAE might add to the advantage of Women in Blue.
“I think I will definitely want the team to do well because, like everybody else, when we get into the World Cup, we want our team to win. The Indian women’s team, so far, hasn’t won, other than the Under-19 World Cup. The UAE is, again, in very similar conditions, so we can say that our team has the advantage,” said Mithali speaking to Star Sports
“But again, the World Cup means every team comes well prepared. As a broadcaster, I think I’ve just done the first stint for women’s cricket in the Asia Cup, and India lost the Asia Cup. I don’t know whether that’s lucky or not in that way,” she added.
India Women have never won a T20 World Cup title before. The latest edition is the ninth edition of the event in the women’s arena. The team managed to reach the finals of the title once and was beaten by Australia in 2020. On the other hand, Australia has won the title for a record six times and is the defending champion.