Harmanpreet stressed the significance of sticking to their successful approach

During a captains' joint-press conference in Dambulla, Indian skipper Harmanpreet's remarks set her apart from the rest of the largely mundane, Sri Lankan-dominated conversation. She stressed the need to uphold their winning ways in the Women's Asia Cup, recognising the difficulty of staying on top while enjoying the competition. Despite India's strong track record in the tournament, Harmanpreet displayed no sense of arrogance.

India has been a formidable presence in the Women's Asia Cup, claiming victory in seven of the eight editions, with their lone defeat happening in a gripping final against Bangladesh in 2018. As they gear up to defend their title against Pakistan, a team with whom they have a longstanding rivalry, India is gearing up for a demanding challenge. Despite the smaller number of matches and varying levels of quality between teams in the women's game, recent clashes between India and Pakistan have been closely contested battles.

While the upcoming T20 World Cup remains their main focus, Harmanpreet stressed that the Women's Asia Cup is not merely a warm-up tournament, but a competition they are determined to conquer once again. India's recent T20I series against South Africa unveiled both positives and areas requiring improvement, which they must work on to excel in the Asia Cup.