Mumbai, May 3 (IANS) India batter Jemimah Rodrigues said the team is motivated to build on its recent success and is preparing with renewed hunger for the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup, adding that their aim is to make it two global trophy triumphs after winning the ODI World Cup on home soil last year.

India are yet to win a Women’s T20 World Cup and the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side will look to change it in the upcoming edition of the mega event. India are in Group 1 of the T20 World Cup alongside Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Netherlands.

“It was very inspiring for us, and I think the future of sports in India is bright – not just in cricket but in all fields. I can’t wait to see where it is going from here. I think its a bigger motivation now – since we have won one we want to make it two. So, looking forward to it.

“After winning a World Cup you can get complacent but this team is even more hungrier to win it again and again and again. That’s the plan and that is the entire motive,” Jemimah said on the sidelines of the IISM Degree Distribution Ceremony here on Sunday, where she was in attendance alongside head coach Amol Muzumdar and former India men’s left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni.

Though India have a camp at the BCCI CoE ahead of leaving for England, where they will play three T20Is before entering the T20 World Cup, Jemimah stressed that preparations had begun immediately after the 2025 ODI World Cup triumph.

“I think the preparation is great and it just didn’t start like after the squad’s come out. The first series we played against Sri Lanka after winning the 2025 ODI World Cup was when our preparation began. That day Amol sir also came and said ‘This is where we start for the next World Cup.’ So I think our preparation is going great,” she added.

Reflecting on the recent 4-1 series defeat to South Africa, Jemimah stated the team had taken the lessons from it in a positive manner. “It was a good learning. It gave us a realisation that failures teach you a lot more than winning everything and I know that this is going to be very good for the team. The team is taking it in the right spirit, working hard, preparing well and we are going to come back strong for the World Cup.”

–IANS

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