Colombo: India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur said she is personally excited to see how young left-arm spinner N Shree Charani fares in the upcoming ODI tri-series, where the side will face hosts Sri Lanka in the opening game at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.
Hailing from YSR Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh, Charani grabbed attention by picking four wickets in two games for Delhi Capitals (DC) in WPL 2025, where her ability to control run flow and outsmart batters in middle overs stood out. She later picked nine wickets in three games of the Senior Women’s Multi-Day Challenger Trophy in Dehradun, before getting a maiden call-up to the Indian team.
“Charani is someone who really impressed in the WPL and we have been looking forward for some left-arm spinner who can really do well for the team. I'm personally very excited to see how she's going to do in this particular tournament,” said Harmanpreet in the pre-series press conference on Saturday. The tri-series, which has South Africa as the third team, marks the start of a crucial leg for India to zero on their final squad for the home ODI World Cup, happening later this year. “This series is very important for us going forward to the World Cup and I think it's a great opportunity for us playing against one of the best teams in the world and getting that experience.”
“I think this tournament definitely will give us a lot of confidence in going forward and playing in home conditions. It's a great initiative that before the World Cup, we are getting a very similar kind of feeling where you have to play against different teams and keep looking at your run rate and points table - these things play a very big role when you are playing in the World Cup.”
“So that is something which is really going to help the team and really happy that we got this opportunity, especially in Sri Lanka because we are going to get the same kind of atmosphere in ODI World Cup in India,” elaborated Harmanpreet.
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