Harmanpreet Kaur reveals the biggest challenge India faced during World Cup-winning journey

India captain Harmanpreet Kaur has admitted that consecutive defeats during the Women’s World Cup had left the dressing room atmosphere heartbreaking, affecting the overall team environment and morale.Kaur said that the team found it difficult to recover mentally after sufferingback-to-back setbacks in close contests.
“The environment wasn’t great after those losses. When you lose two or three games in a row, it definitely hurts the dressing room. But that’s also when you learn the most as a team.” Kaur said.
India had started the tournament with promise but faltered in crunch moments against top sides like England and Australia.
The skipper pointed out that the players’ intent was never in question, but execution under pressure was an area of concern midway into the tournament.
“We have the talent, the structure, and the support. What we need is to handle pressure better. We can’t afford to make the same mistakes again and again,” she added.
Despite the setbacks, Kaur expressed faith in her side’s ability to bounce back. She credited head coach Amol Muzumdar and the team management for keeping spirits high during the tough phase. “Amol sir was very clear with us — no one was to hang their heads. We had to channel our frustration into better performances. That talk changed the energy completely,” she said.
India eventually regrouped, showing improved performances in the following fixtures, thus clinching the championship eventually in their favour. This was the first time that the Women in Blue emerged victorious in the summit clash of the major event, having appeared thrice at this stage, once each in 2015 and 2017 previously.

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