India will be opening their Women's Asia Cup campaign against Pakistan, in Dambulla on Friday. The continental tournament will be held in the T20 format this year, and will be held by Sri Lanka. The tournament will also serve as preparation for the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup.
Known for her aggressive captaincy, Harmanpreet Kaur will be looking to lead India to a record-extending seventh title. In the pre-tournament press conference, Harmanpreet was direct about India's ambitions and called it a 'very important' tournament.
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During the pre-tournament press conference, Harmanpreet was present to answer questions and also came up with an epic reply to a reporter, who asked her if people were losing interest with women's cricket. A reporter pointed out that when India last toured Bangladesh in April-May, "less journalists appeared on the press conferences, what is your opinion?"
"Well, that's none of my business, you guys have to come and cover us," Harmanpreet bluntly replied, silencing the reporter in an instant.
{{/usCountry}}"Well, that's none of my business, you guys have to come and cover us," Harmanpreet bluntly replied, silencing the reporter in an instant.
{{/usCountry}}Harmanpreet has a controversial history with the Bangladesh cricket team. During an ODI match in Dhaka in 2023. During the match, she made her displeasure with umpiring known, as she reacted to her dismissal by smashing the stumps with her bat and also called the umpiring 'pathetic' at the post-match presentation. When both teams posed for a photograph, Harmanpreet also allegedly shouted to bring the umpires too, suggesting that they helped Bangladesh. She received three demerit points for dissent and was also fined, even getting a two-match ban. Since then, she has been a controversial figure in Bangladesh media, and many decided to snub her during India’s tour of the country.
Defending her actions back then, she said, "I will not say that I regret anything because at the end of the day as a player you want to see that fair things are happening. As a player you always have the right to express yourself and what you're feeling."