Indian great Sunil Gavaskar said “The Indian team was good enough to get to the finals of the last World Cup, so it should believe in itself and play freely. It is a team with a combination of youth and experience and that is always a great way to begin a campaign.

“The team was lucky that it was practised at the National Cricket Academy and the players were able to interact with the likes of VVS Laxman and RP Singh which would have given them a lot of confidence.

“This is the silver jubilee year of India’s triumph in the 1983 World Cup and if the women’s team can take heart from that effort and keep fighting till the last ball is bowled, who knows, it may be able to do what we did 25 years ago.”

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, said “It is great to know that Pakistan women’s cricket team has qualified for the World Cup. It clearly proves that the team has the talent that is required to line up with the best in women’s cricket.

“I want to see the Pakistan team go out there and give its best. It has nothing to lose as it is not amongst the top-ranked teams. This should lessen the pressure on the players and when you have nothing to lose and nothing to fear, you tend to give up your best,” said Akram.

Arjuna Ranatunga said“The World Cup is not about big names but about how you perform in the big arena.

“Sri Lanka needs to take each game at a time and go stage by stage. Its first target should be to qualify for the Super Six stage. The players need to trust their talent, ability, prowess and need to believe that they are good enough to win the ICC Women’s World Cup,” said Ranatunga.

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said “The New Zealand side looks to be one of the most experienced we’ve had in a while and there is some world-class talent in there with hitters like Suzie Bates, all-rounder Nicola Browne and bowlers like Sophie Devine.

“In a World Cup it’s all about performance on the day so there’s got to be a hunger and a drive to be the absolute best you can be.

“We cheered them when they played the curtain- raiser to our Twenty20 International against Australia and will be sending messages of support to the team throughout the World Cup and keeping in contact with them as much as possible.”

England captain Andrew Strauss said “The England women’s team can be really proud of its record over the last few years and beating Australia at home and away was a terrific achievement. The team has plenty of talented young players coming through the system too which bodes well for the future.

“We always take an interest in how the women’s team is doing and it was great to see Charlotte Edwards winning the ICC Women’s Player of the Year award in Dubai last year.

“It’s an important year for the women’s team. With three major competitions coming up, it gives them a great opportunity to get more exposure for women’s cricket and hopefully it will help encourage more women and girls in this country to take up the sport.”