I hope the jinx is broken this time, says Devajit Saikia ahead of ICC Women’s World Cup

Mumbai, Sep 21 (IANS) BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia wishes for the Women in Blue to break the jinx and win their maiden ICC title as they gear up for the ICC Women’s World Cup, starting from September 30. He also said that Assam’s cricketing body, in association with the Indian cricket board, plans to hold an opening ceremony in Guwahati before the World Cup opener between India and Sri Lanka. 

Saikia wished the Indian women’s team luck and lauded their recent performances against Australia at home and England away from home. While India clinched the T20I and ODI series against England on English soil, they fell short by winning the three-match ODI series against the Aussies by a short margin in the last ODI after levelling the series.

The BCCI secretary reflected on India’s outings while noting that the Indian women’s cricket team has come a long way.

“So you have seen that it was a very keenly contested series, which concluded yesterday. Australia won by 2-1. But India played extremely well. They could have chased 412, but fell short of a few runs. And in one match, India won handsomely. 102 runs was the victory margin. In the other game, India lost by eight wickets. So there is parity between India and Australia. And Australia is considered to be one of the best teams in women's cricket, and India is catching up,” Saikia told reporters on Sunday as he filed his nomination at the BCCI headquarters.

“India has not won any ICC Women's Trophy. So this is a big opportunity for the Indian women's team to do well. And as the matches are being held in India as well as in Sri Lanka, everybody is backing our Indian team. Recently, they have done extremely well in England, also. In the T20Is and ODIs, they have beaten England in England. This is a big achievement for the Indian team. So Indian women's cricket has come of age. And I am sure they will put forth a remarkable performance in the upcoming World Cup. I hope that the jinx is broken this time,” he added.

Saikia offered his condolences to the late Zubeen Garg, who passed away on Saturday, and noted that the state’s cricketing body has planned a special 40-minute program to pay respect to the singer.

“This is the first time Guwahati is hosting the ICC Women's World Cup. It will start in Guwahati on 30th September, and the opening match will be played between India and Sri Lanka. ICC and the BCCI are planning an opening ceremony. Recently, the musical icon of Assam, Zubeen Garg, passed away. The Assam Cricket Association, possibly in conjunction with the BCCI, will organise a tribute program at the opening ceremony,” Saikia noted.

“A 40-minute program will be held in memory of Zubeen Garg. Shreya Ghoshal will also be there; she has already planned to be a part of it. Before the match, we will have Zubeen Garg's tribute and Shreya Ghoshal's performance during the mid-innings break. Shreya will be performing 4-5 of her top hits along with the theme song of the ICC Women's World Cup 2025,” he stated.

-- IANS

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