'ODIs, an opportunity to get ready for T20I series': Harmanpreet

Harmanpreet Kaur. Pic/PTI

The Indian women's cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur has said that the three-match ODI series against South Africa, beginning here from Sunday, will give her side a chance to assess strategies and conditions ahead of the all-important T20Is. India will fully embrace the shortest format from July with a series against the Proteas, and are looking to gain momentum ahead of the T20 World Cup to be hosted by Bangladesh in October.

"We take [ODIs] as an opportunity to go to T20Is, because we are playing more T20 games and ODI is something where as a player you have more time to assess your yourself and the conditions," Harmanpreet said on the eve of the first ODI against South Africa here.

"It's good for us that we are getting more games and expressing ourselves," she added.

Coming into this series, India had fitness concerns over top-order batter Jemimah Rodrigues and medium pacer Pooja Vastrakar. However, Harmanpreet allayed the worries. "They are absolutely fine, and they are right now even having a hit at nets. They are fit for the game," she said. Rodrigues was recuperating after a back injury that forced her to sit out of the T20I series against Bangladesh, while Vastrakar was recovering from an unspecified injury.

The return of Rodrigues, Harmanpreet said, will fortify India's batting in this series. "Jemi is fit and fine. She is back and she is someone who is very experienced and she is doing very well for so many years. Now, I think it's a quite balanced batting side and whatever we are expecting as a team, we will go and do well," she noted.

India have recalled top-order batter Priya Punia and pacer Arundhati Reddy for the ODIs. Harmanpreet said the national call was a reward for their consistent performance in domestic cricket. "They are performers in domestic [cricket], so, we didn't ignore the way they have been performing from last two to three years. We gave them enough time to prove themselves and get ready for the international games," she said.

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