MUMBAI: While India’s men’s players are busy with IPL 2026, the Indian women’s team is currently in South Africa for a five-match T20I series. The tour is getting underway at Kingsmead in Durban on Friday night, with the visitors having reached South Africa in three separate batches due to disruption caused by the West Asia situation, which has hit aviation schedules. The headlining goal of the series is preparation ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup in England in June and July, a timing that turns these matches into more than just international T20 cricket—particularly for a team that has been building momentum in the shortest format.
India’s women, who are also setting the tone in T20 cricket much the way their men’s side does in the league system, have been in strong form. In December last year, Harmanpreet Kaur and her teammates dominated Sri Lanka in a home series, sweeping it 5-0 across five T20Is. Earlier this year, India carried that confidence into an overseas assignment, beating Australia in Women’s T20I cricket for the first time in a decade. The series in Australia ended with India winning 2-1 in three matches, a result that underlined the team’s growing ability to compete and close out games under pressure.
Speaking from Durban on Thursday, a day before the opening T20I, Harmanpreet said the team’s belief has strengthened since their memorable 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup success in October and November. She indicated that the performances against top opposition—highlighting Australia—have shaped how the squad is approaching the upcoming tournament cycle. “Yeah, definitely. I think after the (2025) ODI World Cup (triumph), our team is looking quite confident. Wherever we are going, we are going with a lot of confidence, and we have seen that, playing against Australia. Our team is looking in good shape,” Harmanpreet said. “And before the (T20) World Cup, the South Africa series is very important for us. Hopefully, we will play our best cricket here as well. And I think it’s a great opportunity for us before the (T20) World Cup to (make it) all come together and play our best cricket. We want to take this opportunity seriously and play good cricket over here.”
Harmanpreet also made it clear that South Africa will not be treated lightly, even though the Proteas have already proved they belong on the biggest stages. South Africa have reached the finals of the last two T20 World Cups, and they also lost to India in the final of the 2025 ODI World Cup. “The South African team is quite a balanced side. They have very good players. They have good all-rounders who always come up when the team needs them. In the T20 format, you always need good all-rounders,” she said. “I think that they have been playing really good cricket for the last four or five years… every time reaching the finals and doing really well and playing good, competitive cricket,” Harmanpreet added.
She explained that India’s decision to face South Africa ahead of the T20 World Cup is deliberate, shaped by the confidence that comes from competing well against strong teams. “That’s why we wanted to play against them before the (T20) World Cup, because you always get good confidence when you do well against good teams. So South Africa is one of the teams we always rate very highly,” Harmanpreet said.
While India’s recent T20 momentum has been encouraging, the captain acknowledged that the team has had mixed results in other formats. India were shut out 3-0 in an ODI series and also suffered a 10-wicket defeat in a one-off pink-ball Test at Perth against Australia. Harmanpreet stressed that, even with those setbacks, the squad is focusing on what comes next—especially the T20 assignment. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose but it’s very important what is coming forward and keeping your focus on that. Our main focus was T20 cricket, and I’m happy that in that, we did really well. We didn’t do well in the ODIs and the Test, but I think as a team we all came together and we all had very good discussions about how we have to go about when we play the next ODI (series) and Test match in the future,” she said.
With the T20 World Cup still the main destination, Harmanpreet reiterated that the immediate priority is regaining and sharpening tournament-ready form through competitive cricket in South Africa. “But the main task is the T20 World Cup and before that, we want to play really good cricket to get our confidence back again for the tournament. So, (doing well in) T20 (cricket) is the main target and before the T20 World Cup, we are playing some very good competitive cricket,” the skipper said.
Harmanpreet also addressed team selection and roles, particularly in light of the absence of the injured all-rounder Amanjot Kaur. With Amanjot not available, India are looking to 22-year-old all-rounder Kashvee Gautam to deliver in the T20 setup. Kashvee has played six ODIs and a Test, but is yet to make her T20I debut. Harmanpreet highlighted Kashvee’s overall skill set as an important piece of the team’s planning. “Kashvee is also someone who is very talented. She can contribute both batting and bowling and she is also a great fielder. So, having these kinds of players is very important and bringing her to T20 cricket is very important because now, as Aman is not here, and she (kashvee) is someone who can do really well for the team,” she explained. “So, I think this is a very important series for all the young players who haven’t played much international cricket, but giving them an opportunity here will make a lot of difference for us.”
The opening match at Kingsmead sets the tone for a tour that India hopes will translate confidence into performance—heading into a T20 World Cup summer where execution, adaptability, and form will matter as much as momentum.
