Harmanpreet hopeful of 'breaking the barrier' in home World Cup

World Cup glory has remained tantalisingly so near and so far for the Indian women's team, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur is well aware of those challenges. As she puts it, this is the final barrier – one the team hopes to break when they compete in the ODI Women's World Cup.

"Playing in front of a home crowd is always special, and hopefully this time we'll give our 100 per cent and finally break the barrier that all Indian fans have been waiting for," Harmanpreet said.

India were runners-up in 2005, finished third in 2009, and seventh in 2013. They came agonisingly close to lifting the title in 2017, losing the final to England at Lord's, before finishing fifth in 2022. Harmanpreet recalled the heartbreak of the 2017 tournament in which she had smashed a jaw-dropping 171 in the semifinal against Australia.

"I still remember that knock – it was very special. A lot changed for me personally after that. At the time, I didn't fully realise what had happened, but when we returned to India after losing the final, the number of people waiting and cheering for us was truly remarkable. That was something very special," the India skipper recalled.

The World Cup starts on September 30 and concludes on November 2. A total of five cities across the two countries will host matches, with Vizag, Indore, Guwahati and Colombo all scheduled for fixtures. Bengaluru is also one of the declared centres but there is a bit of uncertainty over it since the local Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) is yet to obtain permission.

The Chinnaswamy in the city is to host four games, including the inaugural fixture between India and Sri Lanka and a semifinal. Should Pakistan not qualify, which is likely, Bengaluru is the designated venue for the title clash on November 2.