Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur on Friday said she has ‘zero control’ over the off-field antics that’ll come with the Pakistan match of the upcoming 2025 World Cup.
She was speaking with the context of the almost-daily controversies in the men’s game at the 2025 Asia Cup, where fines and reprimands are expected for captain Suryakumar Yadav and the Pakistani duo of Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan over political statements and gestures. The men’s team has refused to shake hands or make as much as an eye-contact with the Pakistani side, and some of it might spill over to the women’s game too.
“Well, we can only control one thing which is playing cricket on the field and we are not thinking of other things,” Harmanpreet said during the ICC captains’
press meeting. “Because as cricketers, we can only control the things we have in our hand. But in other parts, I have zero control and I don’t even take those things into my mind. We don’t even discuss those things in the dressing room. We are only here to play cricket and our focus is only on cricket,” she added.
India and Pakistan will go against each other on October 5, Sunday. The match would be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, despite most games being hosted by India, due to security reasons.
Otherwise, this would be Harmanpreet’s first ODI World Cup as captain.
“I think leading your country is always a very special moment for any player, but leading your country in an ODI World Cup is even more special, and on top of that, it is a home World Cup, so it’s even more special,” Harmanpreet said. “… I mean, it’s unbelievable because, you know, when I started playing I never even thought I would get the opportunity to lead my country, it was only in a dream. The ODI World Cup is happening after 12 years (at home), and I think it is going to be very amazing for all of us. It’s all about enjoying this moment and not taking too much pressure,” she added.
