The reigning ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup winners, India, have set themselves a new target-to add another global crown to their kitty by winning their maiden ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title in the event, which will be held in England and Wales from June 12. Having claimed their maiden T20 World Cup title at home last year, India will be making their final preparations for the mega event by locking horns with England in a three-match T20I series to familiarise themselves with the conditions on offer. The Indian players will be taking the field in England on a high following their success over the hosts in the previous white-ball series.

For skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, however, England is an all-too-familiar landscape. It was here that she made her India debut at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2009.

With India riding on a wave of confidence, Harman conceded that a fairytale ending to the upcoming tournament would be a dream come true for her.

“It will be a dream come true for any cricketer who made their debut in England and then wins the World Cup in England. I think I can’t ask anything else for myself and from God,” she said in the pre-match press conference in Chelmsford on Wednesday.

“And now it’s only about keeping myself in a positive frame and just doing the right things again and again, because consistency is something that always gives you results. It’s only about going there, expressing ourselves and enjoying each and every moment on the field.”

Kaur is the only member of the Indian squad who has featured in all the Women’s T20 World Cup editions to date.

Ahead of her 10th outing, however, she has added another feather to her cap, becoming the first Indian captain to lift a Women’s Cricket World Cup trophy.

It is from that euphoric win that Kaur and her team are deriving inspiration ahead of what is expected to be one of the most competitive editions of the tournament.

“I think winning the World Cup gave us a lot of confidence, and I think that confidence will carry over to this T20 World Cup. When you win, you know what things you have done really well to win that World Cup. We know how to perform under pressure. So I think those things will give us confidence playing this T20 World Cup,” she said.

Slotted in Group 1 alongside Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Netherlands, India’s march to the tournament begins with their bilateral series against England on May 28.

Following this, the team will size up against the West Indies and England in the warm-up fixtures ahead of the tournament on June 8 and 10, respectively.

Their opening match of the T20 World Cup will see India go up against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 14 at Edgbaston.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Jakub Mensik branded playing conditions at the French Open “insane” after he collapsed on court in distressing scenes at Roland Garros.

An unseasonal heatwave in Paris has made things challenging for players during the first four days and 26th seed Mensik was left in real trouble after battling to a 6-3 2-6 6-4 1-6 7-6 (13/11) victory over Mariano Navone in an epic four hours and 41 minutes.

Mensik was clearly cramping in his legs prior to serving the final point, but managed to hit a forehand winner before dropping to the clay.

The 20-year-old Czech, who was the last man to beat world number one Jannik Sinner in Doha in February, then lay on the court for several minutes, unable to get up.

He was attended to by medical staff, who placed ice towels around his neck and chest and an ice pack on his forehead before eventually helping him to his feet.

Mensik walked off court but had only taken a few steps back towards the locker room when he again looked close to collapse and he was placed in a wheelchair.

He had recovered sufficiently to speak at a press conference several hours later, saying: “My body just turned off.

“It’s insane to play in this weather, and especially in front of the sun. To be there for more than four-and-a-half hours, that’s just insane.

“Even with the breaks, you don’t have that much time. You have just one minute, which when you sit it’s already just 30 seconds. There is not that much time to cool yourself down.”

Mensik was penalised several times for taking too long between points, twice losing his first serve as a result, which left the Czech very unhappy,

“The referee today, what happened after the match, I will keep it for myself, but the behaviour, I don’t respect that,” he said.

Mensik is hopeful he will be able to recover in time to take on Alex De Minaur in the third round, saying: “In the locker (room) I went to the ice bath and even after that I went to the gym to do some recovery, so I would say I’m feeling pretty well, it’s just now about to put back the strength, a lot of fluids, and I’ll be OK.”

Temperatures have been in the mid-30s all week and Roland Garros’ outside courts in particular offer virtually no shade.

Former finalist Casper Ruud felt he was approaching heatstroke during his first-round match on Monday against Roman Safiullin.

The Norwegian eventually managed to recover and reach the second round, but he said afterwards: “I felt at times really dizzy and just really tired and walking around like a zombie almost.”

The Australian Open this year saw temperatures reach 45C and play was twice suspended on the outside courts.

Novak Djokovic believes matches at grand slams should not be played in extreme conditions, saying: “With grand slams, it shouldn’t be an issue, generally, because we have so many courts.

“We have lights. You can reschedule them and still have the crowd in the stadium and everything.”

Temperatures are not expected to cool in Paris until Sunday, with some rain forecast in the second week.

Court six, the scene of Mensik’s difficulties, proved to be even more unlucky for American Hailey Baptiste, who landed awkwardly on her left leg trailing Wang Xiyu 5-4 and had to be taken off court in a wheelchair.

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift made headlines following their visit to the Rocket Arena on Saturday for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Knicks and the Cavaliers.

The Grammy award-winning singer has been a Knicks fan for a long time. She used to frequent New York’s games in the mid-2010s. Kelce, on the other hand, is a die-hard Cavaliers fan. He was born and raised in Ohio and has been supporting the Cavs for a long time.

On the Wednesday episode of the “New Heights” podcast, Travis Kelce shared his thoughts on Taylor Swift’s ties to the Knicks after a resurfaced image of the Grammy award-winning singer with former New York players Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire from 2014 went viral.

“Not a lot of teams have been able to get Taylor to wear a jersey, and the Knicks did,” he said. “Tay’s got a lot of New York ties, so when it came down to like going to the Cavs game, she was kinda like, ‘Oh nice, they’re playing the Knicks, like sweet! I’ve seen them play before.’”

Kelce and Swift’s visit to Game 3 ended in delight for the Grammy award-winning singer as the Knicks secured a 121-108 win over the Cavs at their home. New York went on to win Game 4 on Monday to complete the sweep and punch their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years.

Travis Kelce explains why he didn’t attend ECF games in New York with Taylor Swift

On Wednesday’s episode of the “New Height” podcast, Travis Kelce explained why he and Taylor Swift did not attend the first two games of the ECF, which were held at Madison Square Garden.

“We actually tried to go to a game in New York, but I was stuck in Kansas City,” Kelce said. “I love bringing her into the sports world that I appreciate. That’s why you’ve seen us at the U.S. Open tennis matches, other baseball games, and the (Guardians) vs. the (Yankees) two years ago. I just enjoy bringing her to experience a lot of the fun that I’ve always known to have.”

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are one of the most popular couples in the sports world. Last year, they announced their decision to get married in a combined Instagram post. According to Page Six, the save-the-dates for the wedding have already been sent out, but the location remains unknown.