‘Very high expectations...,' former Aussie captain feels India will feel the pressure at ICC Women's World Cup 2025

Former Australian captain Meg Lanning, who has won 4 T20I and 2 ODI World Cups as a captain, feels India will have an added pressure during the ICC Women's World Cup 2025.

Lanning won two ODI and four T20 World Cup as captain. Image | icc-cricket.com

Australia cricket legend Meg Lanning has shared her thoughts on the unique challenges and heightened expectations that come with playing in a home World Cup, emphasizing that India’s women’s team will be under extra pressure during the upcoming ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 hosted by India.

Having captained Australia to their seventh ICC Women's Cricket World Cup title in New Zealand in 2022 and leading the team to four recent ICC Women's T20 World Cup titles, including the memorable 2020 home win over India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Lanning offers invaluable insight into the realities of hosting cricket’s biggest stage.

“There's definitely a lot of added pressure at a home World Cup. You just get more media, there's more scrutiny, and there's very high expectations. So it's an added layer to everything,” Lanning told ICC Digital.

"You can think about and plan as much as you want, but until you're actually in it - and especially if things don't go well - that's when there's another added (pressure) bit,” she added.

Read Also: India's Squad for Women’s ODI World Cup 2025: Renuka Singh Thakur returns, Shafali Verma fails to make comeback

“India will have the added layer of pressure”

Lanning reflected on Australia’s experience during the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup held at home, where the team stumbled in their first couple of group games and faced immediate pressure.

Yet despite the tough start, Australia regrouped to claim a comprehensive victory over India in front of a record crowd in the final.

She believes India, as hosts of the upcoming 2025 World Cup, will encounter a similar dynamic. “It’s certainly different, and the Indian team will have that added layer of pressure playing at home this time around,” Lanning shared.

The positives of the home World Cup

However, Lanning also spoke about the positives of home advantage.

“You get your home crowd every game. You get your family and friends there. You are in your home comforts.

“So, there are certainly some pros to it, but in terms of the added pressure, that's something that you can't really prepare for, I don't think.”

As India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and her teammates gear up for the tournament starting September 30 with the opening match against Sri Lanka, Lanning’s words serve as a reminder of the dual-edged sword that is playing a World Cup at home, with high expectations but also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

India’s squad for ICC Women’s World Cup 2025

Harmanpreet Kaur (Capt), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Richa Ghosh (WK), Kranti Gaud, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (WK), and Sneh Rana

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