MUMBAI: After clinching its maiden Women’s ODI World Cup last year, the Indian women’s team wants to follow up that memorable triumph by also winning the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in England in June-July, star batsman Jemimah Rodrigues said here on Sunday.
“I think it’s a bit of motivation now. Since we won one, we want to win two,” Jemimah said when asked how the team was preparing for the tournament, which will begin on June 12 and end on July 5.
“The preparation is going very well. It didn’t just start after the team came out. The first series itself was played against Sri Lanka after winning the 2025 World Cup. That day, I also walked into the meeting and said this is where we start for the next World Cup,” said Rodrigues, flanked by head coach Amol Muzumdar and left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni at the IISM 2026 Grade Distribution Ceremony on Sunday.
On Saturday, Indian women’s team captain Harmanpreet Kaur said her team was hungry and ready for the World Cup. Jemimah revealed that India was “even more hungry to win again and again”.
“I think it’s been fantastic. Usually after winning a World Cup, teams can get complacent. But this team is different. This team is even hungrier to win it again and again. So I think that’s the plan and that’s the reason,” Jemimah said.
Muzumdar acknowledged that his team would greatly miss all-rounder Amanjot Kaur, who has been sidelined due to a serious back injury, for which she will require surgery.
“It’s very difficult to replace someone like Amanjot. She has done consistently well for India. We will surely miss her. But injuries are part of the game. I guess she has had a bad one and will be out of cricket for at least four-five months. So I hope she recovers very well and comes back stronger. It is difficult to replace her but that’s the way it is,” the Indian women’s team head coach said.
Muzumdar exuded confidence in her team, especially in light of the Indian women’s team winning a bilateral T20I series in England for the first time in July last year.
“We had a very good T20 series last year. We won against England. That was the first time in history that we beat England in England in a T20 series. So I think the experience is there, the confidence is there. All we have to do is travel well and play well,” he said.
After captaining Nandini Sharma in the Women’s Premier League while leading the Delhi Capitals, Rodrigues said she was happy to see the 24-year-old pacer from Chandigarh break into the Indian team for the first time, and also the 2026 T20 World Cup squad.
“Nandini is ready. She was a great player for us throughout the WPL (she took 17 wickets in 10 matches, including a hat-trick in WPL-4). To be honest, when we got her, we didn’t know what to expect. We knew she had the talent. But when she got to the biggest stage of the WPL in front of the world, the way she performed, not just in one match, not just after the five wickets, but in every game,”
“We are very much looking forward to welcoming him to the team,” added Muzumdar.
Rodrigues said the 1-4 defeat in the five-match T20I series in South Africa earlier this month “taught the Indian women’s team a lot.”
“I think it’s good that what happened has made us realize again that sometimes failures teach much more than winning everything. And I know that this is going to be very good for our team because they are taking it in the right spirit, working hard and preparing well. Whatever happens, we are going to come back strong in the World Cup,” Rodrigues said.
On Saturday, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia informed that the Indian women’s team will hold a week-long camp starting May 10 at the BCCI Center of Excellence in Bengaluru.
“He has always been an integral part of this team. We believe in preparing well and preparing for every kind of challenge that lies ahead. I think this team is on the right track and we hope to have a very good camp before leaving for the World Cup,” Muzumdar said.