Prior to India’s first match of the Women’s T20 World Cup against New Zealand on October 4, vice captain Smriti Mandhana said that there are no justifications for someone representing their nation internationally.

On October 6, India and Pakistan will also face off in an afternoon match at the Dubai International Stadium. “The heat will make the afternoon game difficult, but there are no excuses when you represent India. You have to be well-prepared, and we have a few afternoon sessions scheduled to help us get used to the environment.

“I’m confident we’ll be prepared when we play Pakistan. We must maintain our strength and perseverance mentally; drinking enough water is essential. It’s not been simple. Compared to other teams, we are slightly used to the heat since we are from India, but the first few days were quite exhausting.

“By the time we play our first game, we’ll have a greater sense of how the surroundings work. There has been excellent preparation. Before traveling to Dubai, we had an incredible training in Bangalore, where we made every effort to cover every aspect. Right now, all that has to be done is fine-tune everything before we start,” Smriti told broadcasters Star Sports.

Smriti said, “I think the India-Pakistan rivalry is more about the emotions of the fans than anything else,” in reference to the competition between the two countries in women’s cricket. The intensity of the conversation stems from the strong emotions of both countries, rather than the players not speaking to one another.

Every World Cup game is significant to me, and we give it our all in every encounter. However, she said, “There is undoubtedly a great deal of passion around the India-Pakistan games.

In their Group A matches, Australia and Sri Lanka will also come up against India. “You have to give every World Cup game your all because they are all significant. While Sri Lanka and New Zealand are formidable teams, you know you can’t afford to make errors while playing Australia.

To defeat them, you must perform at your highest level on that specific day. Australia is such a strong team, so playing them is always exciting, and defeating them is a fantastic challenge,” Smriti said.

The left-handed opener, who cited Meg Lanning and Kumar Sangakkara as her cricketing heroes, said she enjoys opening the batting alongside Shafali Verma. It’s a great pleasure to begin with Shafali. We have some hilarious talks with each other. They may be so arbitrary that I pray the microphone never captures them!

“We have been opening together for the last two to three years, so we are quite familiar with one another’s games. Often times, motions suffice to convey meaning just as well as words. We have a strong relationship, and the team benefits whenever we start a powerplay.”

Smriti concluded her remarks by praising Harmanpreet Kaur and remarking, “It’s been incredible to be on this journey with Harman since my debut. We have seen the remarkable growth of women’s cricket over the last 8–9 years.

Harman is one person who, in whatever circumstance, will always put up a fight. I respect her since she is fearless and constantly gives it her all. She inspires not only myself but the team’s younger players as well.”