ICC Women's T20 World Cup: India will take SL very seriously - Harmanpreet

India hopes to make it four out of four by winning its final match in the first round.

Chamari Athapaththu has been Sri Lanka's highest run-getter (91 runs in two matches) in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup so far. - GETTY IMAGES

India will be wary of a strong opponent in Sri Lanka when the two teams clash on Saturday in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, captain Harmanpreet Kaur has said.

India has already booked its spot in the semifinals after having registered three wins in a row in the group stages. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, has suffered two back-to-back losses — against Australia and New Zealand — but the side gave both teams a scare.

“I know we have qualified, but the next game is still crucial for us. We will be taking Sri Lanka very seriously. They’ve been doing well. I know they haven’t won a game but they were almost there on both occasions,” Harmanpreet said, looking ahead to what will be India's final group game.

The wicket of Sri Lanka's talismanic batter Chamari Athapaththu would be key, felt Harmanpreet. “We try to take every wicket in all of our games. Every wicket is an important one at this level. We just have to try and stick to our plan, especially to get out the likes of Chamari Athapaththu early. That will be crucial,” she said.

'Hungry for a win'

Sri Lanka, sitting in the fourth place in Group A, would be keen for wins in their next two games, said captain Shashikala Siriwardena. After playing India, Sri Lanka takes on Bangladesh next week.

PREVIEW | Batting in focus as India takes on SL

“We want to take victories in our next two games. We did well against Australia and New Zealand, but we couldn’t turn it into a win,” she said.

“Chamari Athapaththu is performing well which really is boosting the team. We’re happy with the way we’ve played but we’re still hungry for a win and we’ll be giving 100 per cent to get it. We have to do what we have done well in previous matches against India but at the same time we need to correct the mistakes we are repeating, especially in fielding,” Siriwardena pointed out.

“Our players are trying to continuously perform, that’s the main thing. We know that the potential is there but the performance and execution on the big stage is lacking. Playing close matches against good quality teams has only helped us to improve,” Siriwardena concluded.