U19 World Cup: Goal is to Achieve Victory and Defend Title, States Niki Prasad

New Delhi, Jan 17 (NationPress) The captain of India, Niki Prasad, stated that the primary goal for her team is to emerge victorious in the 2025 U19 Women’s T20 World Cup and successfully defend the championship title that was secured under Shafali Verma's leadership in 2023. As the reigning champions, India enters the tournament set to commence in Malaysia on Saturday, having triumphed in the inaugural edition held in South Africa in 2023. Furthermore, they are riding high on the success of winning the first-ever U19 Women’s Asia Cup in Malaysia last month.

“Our goal is unambiguous: to win this tournament and retain the title that India clinched in the last edition, which also marked the inaugural event of the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup. We aim to showcase a cricketing style that will secure the trophy and bring pride to our nation and its supporters,” Niki emphasized in an ICC statement.

England, who were the runners-up in the 2023 edition, aspire to go one step further in 2025. “As a team, we intend to play with a positive mindset throughout the tournament while enjoying the experience and seizing every opportunity to maximize our performance and, of course, with the aim of winning!” stated captain Abi Norgrave.

The 2023 semifinalist Australia have set high expectations for themselves to adapt successfully to various conditions they will face during the tournament. “This year, the girls participated in two different tri-series in Sri Lanka and Brisbane,” said captain Lucy Hamilton.

“This experience has been invaluable for team development and exposure to diverse challenges. We see these opportunities as a key learning experience to prepare us for Malaysia. Our overall ambition for this tournament is to improve our performance, reach the World Cup final, and return home with the trophy,” she added.

Bangladesh captain Sumaiya Akter, who led her side to a runners-up spot in the U19 Women’s Asia Cup, is eagerly anticipating returning to Malaysia for the World Cup. “We are very excited to play in Malaysia for the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup. We previously participated in the Asia Cup here and enjoyed exploring Malaysia’s rich culture and diverse cuisine,” she remarked.

Sri Lanka skipper Manudi Nanayakkara, who led her team to the Asia Cup semifinals, expressed confidence in their preparations. “We have thoroughly prepared. Our participation in the U19 Women’s Asia Cup provided us with excellent exposure. Prior to this event, we played several matches against the Bangladesh U19 team, which has fortified our readiness,” she stated.

Another 2023 semifinalist, New Zealand, has unfinished business in 2025. Captain Tash Wakelin mentioned that the tournament offers her team a chance to achieve multiple objectives.

“Everyone is striving for the same goal: to progress as far as possible in the tournament. However, as we are all quite young and still developing our individual skills, the experience and knowledge we gain from this opportunity are invaluable,” she explained.

“If we can exit the tournament knowing we gave our best and gained a better understanding of our games, along with enhanced motivation and aspirations to compete at the highest level, we will feel a profound sense of accomplishment both individually and as a team,” she concluded.