Rodrigues confident India will make it to T20 WC final

Rodrigues confident India will make it to T20 WC final

Dubai: Indian batswoman Jemimah Rodrigues has said that the team will have a good match practice in the tri-nation series for the T20 World Cup scheduled to be played next month.

India will be travelling early to Australia to play a tri-nation series along with the host nation and England before the main event.

“I think it’s (preparations) going pretty well. We have got a good couple of matches. Now we’ll be going to Australia and we will have the tri-series. So, I think we have good match practice before the main tournament,” Rodrigues was quoted as saying by the ICC website.

“And yes, of course, I have been working on some particular areas (of improvement) in my batting… So, yeah, it’s been going pretty well,” she added.

The 19-year-old, who has represented India in 34 T20Is and 16 ODIs, is expecting a good crowd turnout in Australia for the India women and hopes that her dream of playing in a World Cup final will finally materialise at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

“Wherever we go we get Indian followers and supporters so we never feel away from home. We will be expecting a lot of crowd (in Australia) and that will be a boost for us. We get pumped up when we see them cheering for us. It’s a different energy that comes out. There is a different kind of positivity to it.

“As a young kid I have always dreamed about playing the World Cup and not just playing, but doing well. And that too in packed stadiums. And this hasn’t happened to me so far, I wasn’t there in the 2017 World Cup.

“I can’t put it in words, how important it will be for me to be a part of the Indian team that plays in a World Cup final. It’s quite exciting. I’m really looking forward to it,” she added.

The Women in Blue will kick-off their campaign at the showpiece event against hosts Australia in the tournament opener in Sydney on February 21.